Any Other World
by Rebirth of the Phoenix
Summary: <html><head></head>50 AU oneshots. 13. Merchant. Hangovers, unbidden memories and scary old ladies make a trip to port an interesting time for the crew. (Part 5 of Arabia)</html>
1. Arabia

**Oh no, another story from me before anything else is finished. I'm on my last push at university and I have no time for writing. The only reason that this has been finished is that it's been half written for months and months.**

**This is a oneshot series, all based around a period of history: 50 AU prompts. **

**I find it much easier to write oneshots rather than update a story when I have very limited time, and I hope that you enjoy this :)**

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><p>Prompt # 01<p>

Arabia

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><p>The desert was rapidly cooling around a dark figure and his accomplices, the heat of the day lingering only in the sand beneath their feet. The groups' focus was the sprawling palace nestled in the sand dunes, an imposing sight for miles around. Their vantage point, high upon the dunes themselves, gave the group a perfect view of the palace and its grounds, and the steady stream of people travelling through the desert to reach it.<p>

The palace of Gaara of the Desert was renowned far and wide: built in the midst of a sprawling oasis, the palace was well provided with water and shade, and yet still extremely secluded from the more populous settlements gathered on the shores.

The golden-coloured stone of the palace walls were illuminated by an abundance of vast braziers, the flames beckoning the approaching travellers. The domed towers at the corners of the complex were inlaid with gold, glinting in the last remnants of the sun, disappearing below the desert hills.

The shadowed man took one last glance at the palace before turning to his company, surveying them with dark eyes.

"You all know the plan?" They nodded and he smirked in return. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Wordlessly the group of people split off into pre-arranged groups, a blonde haired man hurrying after the leader.

"Hey, Sasuke? Why are all those people heading to Gaara's place?"

Sasuke sighed in annoyance, pulling out his lucky scarf and wrapping it around his head and then his neck. "Do you ever listen, Naruto? It's Gaara's birthday and people are coming from far and wide to pay their respects to him... hoping to get in his good graces I suppose."

"Then why are _we_ sneaking in tonight? Security is going to be worse than usual. The guards will looking out for people trying to sneak in."

"Exactly," Sasuke muttered. "I imagine that everyone who goes through the gates will be checked thoroughly, and security around Gaara will be ridiculously tight. Luckily for us that will mean there will be less guards in the rest of the palace... and _we're _not using the front door."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully but fell quiet as they approached the shadowed walls on the east side of the palace. They had spent many days and nights watching the building and learning the guard shifts and patterns and tonight was the result of all that planning. With the perimeter of the complex being so expansive, they had a few valuable minutes to get up onto the palace roof and out of sight of the guards.

Naruto kept look out as Sasuke skimmed his hands over the wall, searching for decent footholds. This side of the palace was covered with lattice-work windows, which would make scaling to the top much easier, and luckily they would be unoccupied, the palace's residents all being congregated in the great banqueting hall to celebrate their master's birthday.

Finally finding purchase on the wall, Sasuke pulled his scarf up to cover his mouth and began the dizzying climb upwards, whistling for Naruto to follow. It was slow-going, the two men pausing regularly in order to wait for patrols to pass by on the ground. Once he reached the roof, Sasuke peered over the edge, making sure there were no guards.

Finding that the coast was clear, the thief pulled himself up and then helped his companion clamber onto the blessedly empty roof. Motioning towards the tower that lay at the farthest corner of the roof, Sasuke beckoned Naruto to follow him, moving swiftly and silently. Halfway to their destination however, Naruto grasped Sasuke by the arm and tugged him down to the floor. Sasuke cursed lowly as Naruto forced them to lie on their stomachs, inches away from a huge domed skylight.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke hissed.

Naruto pointed at the tower they had been heading towards and Sasuke cursed as he saw the shadowy figures patrolling outside the roof access to the tower and, casting his eyes further up, he also spotted more guards through the windows of the tower itself.

"Damn it, Gaara's better than I gave him credit for. Even on a night like this he wouldn't leave it unattended."

Naruto sighed. "What are we going to do now? It would be suicide to approach from the roof, they'd spot us a mile off."

Sasuke inwardly agreed with Naruto, as soon as they passed the skylight and made it to the pool of light cast by the braziers hanging from the tower, they would be spotted. Sasuke would bet his life on Gaara having archers on the top of the tower as well.

Glaring at the tower through the glass dome in front of him, Sasuke cast his eyes downwards and smirked. The impressive glass dome was the skylight to the grand hall it seemed, and Sasuke found himself peering down into the ridiculously large room. The people sat around the four edges of the hall were minute from Sasuke's height, though he could spot Gaara's mop of red hair with little difficulty.

"We get to tower through the inside."

"What! Sasuke I think that scarf is cutting off circulation to you brain. You want us to just stroll in through the front door?"

"No you idiot, look." Sasuke pointed down to the hall below and Naruto followed his lead. "Look at the curtains."

There were richly coloured drapes hanging from ceiling to floor, the material thick and luxurious enough to hold the weight of several men.

"If I can get down to a curtain, I'll be able to make my way across to one of the balconies," Sasuke said, pointing to the balconies that overhung the great hall. "I'll have better luck sneaking in to the tower from the inside; there are more places to hide."

Naruto grinned widely and got up into a crouching position. "Let's go then!"

"No, I'll be doing this one on my own, Naruto." Before the blonde could protest, Sasuke hurried on. "I need you to lower me down, then get back to the others and tell them that the plan has changed. Tell them to head back to the port and the ship without us, tell them to ride through the night until they get there. You will bring two of the horses to the front entrance. Try and steer clear of the guards idiot, because I'm going to be heading out of the front door and I don't want the fact that we've just stolen from Gaara to be too obvious."

"Why would you come out of the front?" Naruto looked confused.

"The guards won't be worried about people sneaking out. They will assume that anyone who got in went through them in the first place... but just in case I need you nearby with the horses for a speedy getaway."

Naruto thought about it for a moment before nodding and shrugging the coil of rope from his shoulders and standing up fully. "Great, but how are we going to get through this dome? I'm pretty sure it will attract attention if we just smash it."

Sasuke straightened up next to his friend and unsheathed his sword, sliding the tip expertly against a bottommost pane of glass where it met the stone of the roof. "Be ready to grab this, we need to be quiet."

Working the blade of the sword carefully, Sasuke shimmied it enough that he felt it lift from the bottom, where Naruto's fingers lifted it, pulling it fully out of the gold framing and lowered it gently to the floor. Wasting no time, and working with dexterous fingers, Sasuke knotted the rope around his middle and crouched next to gap they had created in the dome.

Naruto took up the other end of the rope and braced his feet against the strong metal frame of dome. "I hope you've been laying off the cakes, Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked back at his friend, their exchanges of insults second nature to them. "I hope you've got more muscles than a little girl, I'd hate to end the night by falling to my death."

"We'll see then, won't we?" Naruto grinned, letting some rope fall lax as Sasuke hung by his fingertips from the roof. "Tug on the rope when you've untied yourself will you? I'm not standing here for my health."

Sasuke laughed under his breath as he let go of the roof, falling momentarily before Naruto counterbalanced his weight. He was immensely grateful that the room was so large that his dangling body drew no attention of the people far below.

Naruto lowered him slowly until he could grasp the heavy material of the curtains, and he made sure to get a good purchase with one hand before untying the rope from his waist. A sharp tug on the rope let Naruto know that he was safe, and the rope was pulled back through the skylight without a sound.

Sasuke took a moment to look down and observe his surroundings. He was pleased to see that the festivities had already kicked off, keeping everyone's attention fixed firmly on the centre of the room some thirty feet below him.

In ordered succession people would come forward to where Gaara sat and wish him joy on his birthday before presenting him with their gifts. Some people had brought rare gemstones, others magnificent works of art. Currently taking their turn in front of Gaara was a magician who created spectacular blasts of fire and coloured explosions from which exotic birds would fly, and the crowd gasped and applauded as Sasuke scuttled across the drapes.

It was tiresome work, with Sasuke moving his whole body with only his arms. He listened as people spoke to Gaara to distract himself.

"My revered Master," a bellowing voice proclaimed when Sasuke was halfway to the balcony. "We are but a poor desert tribe but we have travelled here to share with you the gift of dance."

Sasuke decided to take a break from his traversal of the room, his interest piqued. Having crossed Gaara a few times in the past, he knew that the man was not one for finding beauty in the arts and Sasuke was intrigued to see how a poor tribes' dancing would be received. He had a perfect view of the hall, hanging high but directly behind where Gaara was sitting.

The tribe's leader was a huge man, his black hair knotted into plaits and beads and rings of metal hanging from the ends. He bowed lowly to Gaara before continuing with his spiel.

"Ten years ago my tribe discovered a small girl, a desert flower, abandoned and lost. We took her in and she has grown to be the most precious thing to our tribe. Tonight we share her beauty with you in one of our tribe's traditional dances."

The man bowed and moved to the side of the room, where he took a seat at a large drum, one of many lined up against the wall. The beat they started up was vigorous and fast paced, and beckoned a stream of red-clothed dancers into the room. The women wore loose fitting trousers and bejewelled brassieres and the men were bare-chested wearing trousers similar to their female counter parts.

Sasuke watched detachedly as the women spun around, leaped and rocked to the rhythm, impressed by their skill but deciding it would be a better use of his time to carry on towards the balcony. Just as he prepared to shift his grip, the music changed to a soft, seductive beat and female voices singing in a language he couldn't understand joined in. Across the floor came a figure, obviously feminine, dressed in white instead of red, with a cloak shielding her head and face.

The other dancers separated as this new woman took the focus of the audience, her hands making complex patterns in the air as she moved her body to the softer beat. The music built up in tempo again, and the dancer in white changed with it. As the music reached a peak the woman threw the cape from around her, making Sasuke's breath catch in his chest.

Unlike the other female dancers, this woman wore a skirt split to her hips on either side, and instead of the black hair that seemed common to the tribe, her hair was the most unique shade of pale pink.

The other dancers rushed back into the action, the pink-haired maiden leading the men on a snaking dance across the floor. Sasuke barely paid attention to the story of the dance, his eyes focused upon the girl for reasons unbeknownst to him – he could barely see her face after all.

At the end of the song the girl had apparently been killed, and was lifted up into the the air by the male dancers. The audience applauded as the music died down and Sasuke was frozen in place when the woman's eyes snapped open and he found himself looking straight into a pair of bright, apple green eyes.

The woman regarded him curiously for a moment before she was lowered back to her feet. Sasuke watched as she and the other dancers bowed to Gaara and he was relieved, but confused, when the girl did not look back at him.

Sasuke's eyes flicked to Gaara and watched as the man spoke into the ear of one of his guards. The guard nodded and hurried down to when the tribe chief stood with the pink-haired girl, speaking lowly to them before guiding them out of the room.

Pulling himself back together, Sasuke began to move across the curtains once more. He couldn't afford to dawdle, for all he knew the pink-haired dancer might be telling the guards that she saw him. His final approach to the balcony was tense, but Sasuke was glad to see that the festivities were still going on; Gaara and his guards' attention was successfully diverted.

One last swing was all it took for Sasuke's feet to find the marble tiles of the balcony and he didn't hesitate to step into the corridor beyond a red silk curtain. Taking a short moment to get his bearings, Sasuke headed left, moving quickly but silently through the palace. He let the position of the moon guide him, glancing through every window he passed, making sure he was heading straight for the tower.

A few times, Sasuke came across a patrolling guard but they were easily avoided by ducking into recesses and behind ridiculously large urns. At one point he met a stationary guard at a junction, but a quick blow with the hilt of Sasuke's sword solved that problem, and the guard was shoved unceremoniously into the closest room.

Sasuke was relieved when he came to his destination, his footsteps fast but cautious as he climbed up the interior steps of the tower. He slowed his approach as he reached the top, pressing his back against the wall of the open doorway and watching the guards circling the room. In the middle of the room was a wooden ladder which led straight up into another chamber, in which lay Sasuke's prize.

Two guards were stationed in the room, stood at each window of the tower, surveying the roof and outside grounds. Two. That meant that Sasuke would have to deal with at least one of them silently, and quickly, to avoid attracting attention. The last thing he needed was a fight on his hands. It was lucky for the thief that the guards were completely turned away from one another, but unfortunately for Sasuke, he would be noticed in the periphery of which ever guard he approached. It was maddening, being so close to his prize and yet being unable to make the final approach. Sasuke kept close to the outside wall, glaring at the guard he could see from his hiding place. As though the guard could feel a burning gaze upon him, he shivered and glanced towards his companion.

It was just the opening Sasuke needed.

Swiftly and silently, the thief swept from the shadows and clamped his hand over the guard's mouth before he could turn back to the window. Holding tightly to the guard's face, Sasuke's other arm raised and held his sword against the terrified man's throat. The guard took the hint, not attempting to scream, and ceased his struggling. Sasuke glanced across the room to the other, completely oblivious guard, and was satisfied that his presence was still unnoticed. Faster than the eye could follow, Sasuke removed his had from the guard's mouth and jabbed two fingers into the back of the man's neck, effectively rendering him unconscious. Lowering the man to the floor gently, Sasuke turned to the last obstacle standing between him and his prize.

The proximity to his goal caused a rush of anticipation to flood through Sasuke's veins, and with much less finesse than with the first guard, he stalked towards his victim and brought the handle of his sword down hard on the guard's head. The man slumped to the floor like a lead weight, but Sasuke was satisfied that he was still breathing.

With no one else to stop him, Sasuke rushed to the ladder, climbing as quickly as he could. The chamber at the top of the tower was rather small, but blessedly empty, and Sasuke pulled himself into the room in relief. There were a few small chests around the room, no doubt filled with gold coins and precious jewels, but they were not of his interest.

Sasuke's dark eyes scanned the room carefully, not seeing what he was looking for. Oh, Gaara was a smart one. Undeterred, Sasuke began circling the room, running a hand along the smooth marble of the walls as he went; he _knew_ it was in the room somewhere. It took a few circuits of the room before Sasuke's fingers grazed past an imperfection in the marble bricks. Crouching down to the crack, he saw that it wasn't a crack at all but perfectly straight... a hinge.

Smirking, Sasuke pulled out his sword and worked around the hinged brick, wiggling it slowly from the wall. It took a few minutes of tense work, with Sasuke aware of how short his time was becoming, before the brick slid from the wall and into his waiting hand. Sasuke stared down at the marble box, barely bigger than his palm, before running his finger nails around the faint groove that ran around the sides of the brick, eventually finding a tiny latch.

The box popped open slightly and it was with baited breath that Sasuke flipped the lid completely open. The crystal orb nestled in the velvet that lined the box reflected Sasuke's wide smirk back at him and the man laughed lowly. He and his crew would be set for life when he turned this item into their contractor. Straightening up, Sasuke closed the box and tucked it into a leather pouch at his waist. Now, to get out of the palace without drawing attention to himself. Simple.

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><p>Okay, not so simple.<p>

Sasuke had made it out of the tower and through most of the main palace undetected. Deciding it would be better to approach the main gates from the darkness of the central courtyard and gardens rather than the grand entrance hall (less light for the guards to recognise his face), Sasuke had taken a passageway which would lead him towards the centre of the palace.

He was now inwardly choking himself in frustration.

Gaara had apparently left the celebrations early and was stood just around the corner from where Sasuke was stood pressed into an alcove. Sasuke had almost barrelled into the red-haired man, and was only stopped from doing so by the man's voice drifting around the corner.

"I wish to thank you for travelling all this way to bestow your gift upon me."

Sasuke furrowed his brow, he had never known Gaara to be polite to anyone. Wondering who the king was speaking with, Sasuke tentatively inched his way to the corner, chancing a brief glance into the passageway beyond.

Sasuke was pressed back into his hiding place within seconds, his sharp sight taking in all he needed to know.

The large, wild looking chieftain he had seen earlier in the night was stood talking to Gaara, towering over the smaller man.

_She_ was there too.

The pink-haired dancer who had caught his attention and who had not alerted the guards to his presence. She was stood next to the chieftain, dwarfed by both men and a disgruntled look upon her face.

The only relief for Sasuke was that there appeared to be no guards with him.

"Thank you, Highness. There is no need to thank me however, it was a pleasure to see your magnificent palace." The chieftain's voice was deep, reverberating through Sasuke's ribcage.

"Will you not stay the night? My palace contains many rooms for you and your tribe." Now Sasuke knew that something was afoot, Gaara was in no way generous or charitable.

"The offer is most appreciated, Highness, but we must make our way to the coast. We need to barter our way on to a ship heading across the sea; it is time to try our luck in a different land."

"You need not barter your way anywhere."

Sasuke heard the clink of metal upon metal and he would recognise the sound anywhere – gold.

"Sire! This is an amazing amount of coin... but I do not understand. Is it a gift?"

"No," came Gaara's low voice. "It is payment."

"For what?"

"For the beautiful desert flower stood next to you."

There was a deep silence in the passageway, and Sasuke's fists clenched impulsively. A new voice joined the conversation at that point, a voice which was soft and sweet but fired by anger and hissing in a language unknown to Sasuke.

The girl ranted at the chieftain for a while longer before Gaara cut in.

"I would prefer to hear what it is you are saying, Blossom."

Sasuke heard the girl inhale angrily and could practically see her bristling.

"I was saying, _my liege_, that I am not for sale. I have no idea who you think you are, but if you think that I will just let you –"

"_Enough!_" Sasuke was surprised to hear the chieftain's rumbling voice call for silence. "Gaara, Your Highness, this is a most kind and flattering thing for you to offer, but how can I give up one of my children?"

"She would be well taken care of. Living in a palace such as this, having people at her beck and call."

"That is most generous, but I cannot. I – "

"I will double the price."

Gaara's word brought silence. Sasuke listened carefully, wondering what the chieftain's reaction would be.

"She will be taken care of?"

"No! Father please, you can't!"

The horror and terror in the girl's voice caught Sasuke in the chest.

"She will be." Gaara affirmed. "Here." Sasuke heard another pouch of gold exchanging hands.

"Father, don't do this to me... _please_."

"I'm sorry, Flower. I have to think of the rest of the tribe. Be happy."

Sasuke pressed himself against the wall as much as possible as the chieftain rushed past, two bags of gold bouncing against his hip, heading back to the main hall.

"Do not look so sad. I am a man of my word, I will take care of you. You will be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams." Gaara spoke with little emotion.

"I would rather be penniless than your whore." The girl hissed viciously.

Sasuke heard a muffled grunt, and when Gaara next spoke his voice edged on anger.

"I would mind your tongue if I were you, I have a rather short temper. I have paid for you and you are mine. You can be my queen or a lowly bed-warmer. It is very much up to you."

"I would rather death."

"That would be waste of my investment."

Sasuke had heard enough, drawing his sword he turned the corner, the tip of his blade levelled at Gaara, who held the pink-haired dancer against the wall by her neck.

"My my, Gaara. Having to pay for female affection now?"

Gaara loosened his grip on the girl's neck, but kept a tight hold on her upper arm. Turning to face Sasuke, his heavily lidded eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked, relishing having the king at the tip of his blade, helpless.

"What are you doing in my palace, thief?"

"Oh you know," Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "Heard you were having a party and thought I'd drop in pay my respects."

"How thoughtful. Now get out before I kill you."

"That's just what I was doing before I stumbled upon this little scene. Really, not your style at all, Gaara."

The girl held close to Gaara's side was staring at Sasuke with sad eye. She was astonishing up close, her eyes expressive and her face as beautiful and innocent as a porcelain doll. But Sasuke had heard her sharp tongue and knew there was fire in the girl... it would be a shame to leave her to Gaara's whims.

"It is none of your business, Uchiha."

"Oh, but it is. I'm a gentleman after all, I feel compelled to help a damsel in distress. Besides, I've been thinking of adding another member to my crew for a while now, and I think this little lady has fighting spirit, don't you?"

"Stay away from what's mine, Uchiha." Gaara growled.

Sasuke stalked towards the red head until the tip of his sword was just pressing through the lavish silk of Gaara's tunic. "You can't buy everything."

Gaara's free hand flew up and grabbed the blade at his chest, gripping tightly until blood dripped from his clenched fist and down his arm. "You do not scare me, Uchiha. You are still the little bottom-dwelling orphan I knew all those years ago."

Sasuke's fist came from the left faster than Gaara could register and the redhead was sent sprawling to the floor. He almost took the girl with him, but Sasuke caught her by the wrist and wrenched her from Gaara's grasp. While the king lay stunned on the floor, Sasuke tugged the girl towards the end of the corridor, sword held out before him. At the end of the passageway Sasuke looked left and right, totally unsure of which way to go.

An idea gripped him suddenly, and Sasuke poked his head out the window. The coast was clear and they were only one floor up. Perfect.

Turning to the girl who was staring at him wide-eyed, Sasuke sheathed his sword, scooped her up in his arms. "Hold on."

The girl barely had time to protest before Sasuke launched them both from the window, wooden frame shattering around them, landing in the shrubbery below the window, cursing as the branches scratched his arms. The girl scrambled from on top of him, and Sasuke struggled to his feet, looking around for the best escape route.

He had little time to search however, before Gaara appeared at the window, face livid, eyes wild and a bruise forming across his cheek.

"Guards!" He screamed in fury. "Get them! I'm going to gut that thief!"

"Damn it." Sasuke groaned as he saw guard rush from their various posts around the area, heading straight for Sasuke and the bewildered girl he had with him. Grabbing her hand, Sasuke began pulling her towards the nearest gate, guided by the giant braziers hanging over it. The girl was struggling to keep up with him and, looking down, Sasuke saw that she was bare-footed. Grumbling to himself, Sasuke swept her into his arms once more, before swinging her onto his back. He felt a little flustered as her bare legs gripped at his sides tightly and she buried her head in his neck. Sasuke could hear mumbling curses and prayers intermittently and he would have laughed if he wasn't so focused on not dying.

The gate was close, he could make out the ornate metal in the darkness and he picked up his pace. A few yards from freedom however, a flash in the corner of Sasuke's eye caused him to halt, the hurled sword barely missing his nose. The sword landed a few feet to his left and Sasuke heard the girl whimper. Drawing his sword, Sasuke faced the direction the sword had come from.

Sasuke was unsurprised to see Gaara stood there, surrounded by guards and breathing heavily. Sasuke slid the girl from his back, tucking her behind him where the only guards were the two posted at the gate, and both seemed unsure whether to leave their stations. Sasuke kept his focus on the groups at his front and his side, his mind working a mile a minute, trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this alive.

Sasuke cursed when he felt the girl move away from him, but dared not turn to look. She was back at his side within seconds however, the sword that had been thrown by Gaara held firmly in her hand. She levelled it at the group of guards before them, and Sasuke could tell that she had no skill with a blade, but admired her steady hand.

"Give it up, Uchiha. Just surrender now and I'll have you beheaded instead of feeding you to the desert rats." Gaara said in amusement, convinced of his victory.

Sasuke smirked back at the man. "What, aren't you feeling hungry, Gaara?"

Sasuke could practically hear the red head's teeth grinding in anger and his smirk grew wider.

"No matter. I will kill you here and now and teach that little sand viper a lesson in respecting her owner."

The girl at Sasuke's side laughed mockingly. "This _sand viper_ would love to know if you are half the man your mother is, _Highness_."

Sasuke could not hold in the snigger at the girl's words, and delighted in the way Gaara's face changed colour to match his hair.

The king glared at the girl and sneered. "You aren't worth anything more than being cheap entertainment, _Blossom_. Even your own tribe sold you off."

Sasuke felt the girl stiffen beside him and knew things were quickly coming to a head. The guards at the gate had started to approach from behind, Sasuke could hear their footfalls on the marble paving of the gardens, and knew that their best chance of escape was through them. He just hoped there were no archers posted over the gate.

Gaara raised an imperious finger at Sasuke and narrowed his eyes. "I'm tired of this, do what you need to, just don't kill the girl." The guards moved forward at his command and Sasuke settled further into a fighting stance. It was escape or die trying.

"WHOOO! SASUKE!"

Never before had Sasuke been so relieved to hear that voice. Whipping around, he was just in time to see Naruto barrel into the courtyard on the back of a fine chestnut Arabian horse, an equally spectacular black horse being tugged behind him.

The two guards in the way of Naruto scrambled clear of the horses' hooves and Sasuke rushed forward to meet him, tugging the girl alongside once more.

Naruto threw the reigns to Sasuke, and the raven-haired man lifted the girl into the saddle before climbing up behind her.

"Well hello there," Naruto grinned. "Who's this?"

"Later, Naruto." Sasuke hissed. Gaara and his men had recovered from their shock and were racing towards them.

With a sharp kick and yell from Sasuke, the horses took off towards the gates and to freedom. The desert outside of the gate was free from guards and Sasuke smiled in victory. He paused momentarily, and caught Gaara's eye over his shoulder. The red head was snarling in frustration and Sasuke nodded his head in a mocking gesture.

"Thanks for the orb, Gaara. Much appreciated."

The look of horrified realisation on the Gaara of the Desert's face was the last sight greeted to Sasuke before he spurred his horse on once more and he disappeared into the desert, friend at his side and his second prize tucked under his chin.

* * *

><p>The nearest port to Gaara's palace was more than a day away, and Sasuke knew Gaara was not stupid enough to follow him blindly into the desert. He and Naruto had drove the horses as hard as they dared, catching each other up on the finer details of the night as the rode, and they caught up with the other members of the crew a few hours away from the port.<p>

The men who had accompanied Sasuke on this quest stared at the girl who was sleeping against his chest in curiosity, but had declined to mention anything. Sasuke was relieved that the girl wasn't kicking up a fuss or complaining about the rough journey... she was unlike most of the other girls he had met before.

The port town where the ship was anchored came into view in the approaching dusk of the next night, the group had made good time, only stopping once to rest the horses and going without sleep. The faction filed into the town quietly, keeping the attention on them a minimum. Finding the nearest stable, the group sold their horses on to the owner, with Sasuke quite reluctant to part with his well-bred steed but knowing they had nowhere suitable for it on the ship.

The group began to move through the streets on foot before Sasuke remembered that the girl had no shoes on her feet. Thinking quickly, Sasuke led her to a fountain and sat her on the end. Kneeling before her, the dark eyed thief tore long strips from his already tattered cloak and wrapped the girl's small feet up. He noticed how delicate her ankles looked and wondered how such a seemingly weak girl had handled the events of the night so well.

"Thank-you." The girl's voice pulled Sasuke from his musings and he looked up at her.

"What is your name?"

"Sakura."

"Then, it is no problem, Sakura. Anything to annoy Gaara."

Sakura smiled widely at him and Sasuke lowered his eyes back to his task.

"In the palace," Sakura whispered. "You said that you might consider taking on a new crew member. Do you have room on your ship?"

Sasuke knotted off his work and stood up straight. "I don't think you understand what type of ship I run, Sakura."

Sakura stood up too, only reaching Sasuke's shoulder and craning her head back to look him in the eye. "Pirates? Thieves? Selective merchants? Whatever way you say it, I know, and I don't care. You seem like a good man."

"You would base that on knowing me for less than a day?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes challengingly. "I base my decision on your actions. I would like to come with you."

Sasuke huffed in an attempt to disguise how confused he was by this woman. "Annoying. Well I won't stop you, but you're going to have to learn how to fight. Your skill with a sword is terrible."

Sakura actually looked affronted for a moment before smiling slyly. "Fine by me, I was sick of dancing anyway."

With that the pink-haired girl moved away from Sasuke and towards the awaiting crew members, leaving a blinking Uchiha in her wake.

_'What a ridiculously odd creature,'_ Sasuke mused, watching the petite woman begin talking to Naruto and the other men without a care in the world. She was short, she looked breakable, she had pink hair and she was gaining a lot of attention in the skimpy outfit she was still wearing, but...

… she was special.

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><p><strong>I think I may expand this in to a full story at some point, I had a lot of fun writing it :)<strong>

**Please forgive typos/mistakes, I'll edit at a later point in time.**


	2. Museum

Prompt # 28

Museum

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><p><em>The Edo period<em>

_1603-1868_

_Treasures of the Shogunate_

Sasuke Uchiha stared blankly at the sign before him, well and truly tired of seeing the words. Working as a security guard at Tokyo National Museum required a high degree of attentiveness. Unfortunately for said museum, Sasuke had become bored of watching over the special exhibition in the Heiseikan gallery for the past month, and, as a result, his work ethic was suffering.

The exhibit was due to move on from the museum the next day and the flow of people through the gallery was rather thin as closing time drew nearer. A tall, silver-haired man stood observing the collection of ukiyo-e paintings on display, his gaze lazy yet intrigued. At the far end of the gallery a blonde man was bent over a case of coins, the gold glinting under the soft lighting of the gallery.

The only other person in the section was a young woman. She was well-dressed, her pencil dress tailored perfectly and a pair of, no doubt, designer heels added several inches of height to her small stature.

She was stood in front of a display of weaponry, her head turning minutely as she took in the swords and daggers mounted on the wall.

Sasuke glanced at his watch and saw that the museum would be closing in ten minutes. Just as the relief spread through him that his day was almost over, a low curse caught his attention. The woman across the room was crouched on the floor, scrambling to pick up items that had fallen from her handbag.

Sasuke may have been a grump, but he was raised as a gentleman, and so he moved over to aid the girl.

Stooping down, Sasuke picked up random cosmetics and a small notepad, holding them out for the woman to take. She looked at Sasuke with bright green eyes, thanking him shyly as she placed the items back in her bag. Sasuke thought her eyes were pretty, but that her black hair looked oddly harsh against her pale skin.

The pair straightened up and, looking around, Sasuke saw that the other two men had left the gallery while he was helping the lady. Turning back to the mystery woman, Sasuke saw that her eyes were fixed on the swords once more.

"It's a beautiful piece, don't you think?"

Sasuke followed her line of sight and observed the katana that had caught her attention. It was an ornate item, not suited to practical use. The tsuka and saya were intricately carved jade, beautiful designs etched throughout the length.

"I'm a collector of such things and I've never seen anything quite so lovely."

Sasuke wasn't sure what drove his normally stubborn tongue to move, maybe it was the wistful look on the woman's face, but he found himself speaking.

"There's a story to go with that blade." Those intense green were suddenly fixed on him and so he continued. "A young boy was found almost dead near the home of a daiymo. The daiymo ordered that the boy be cared for and nursed back to health. When the boy was back on his feet he offered his life to the daiymo. He would serve the man in any way asked of him.

"And so the man became a warrior for the daiymo and served him for years, growing stronger as both a fighter and a man. As a young man, he often visited the nearby town for the daiymo, ensuring peace was kept. On one of these trips he saw a young woman. She was no one of consequence in the town, just the child of a local merchant, for the warrior however, it was love at first sight. On his trips to town he would seek her out and slowly they began to form a relationship.

"When everything seemed to be going perfectly, the girl's father was found to be plotting against the daiymo. The family was imprisoned and death looked likely for them all. The warrior went to the daiymo, who had been like a father to him for years and begged for the girl's life. When the daiymo refused, the warrior offered his life in exchange.

"The daiymo was shocked by this as he saw the warrior akin to a son. He was also touched by his willingness to sacrifice himself. It reminded him of the selfless boy he had first met. Instead of taking his life, the daiymo took back the sword that the warrior had used to protect him and his land and gave him this jade sword instead. The warrior was free to leave and start a new life with the girl he loved."

The woman smiled widely as he finished his story. "That's beautiful. You seem to know a lot for a security guard."

"Well once you've listened to a dozen tours every day for a month, you pick up on these things."

The woman laughed. "I think you could do so much more with a passion like that." She smiled at him some more before thrusting her hand out. "I'm Sakura."

"Sasuke." He returned.

"I know," she tapped the badge on his chest and blushed. "I had better be leaving, the museum will be closing soon, right?"

Sasuke nodded, seeing that it was a couple of minutes until eight.

Sakura bade him a brief goodbye before turning and heading towards the exit. Sasuke's eyes followed her closely and therefore saw, perhaps before she noticed herself, how her right ankle seemed to shake in her precarious heels. Before he could shout out a warning, Sakura tumbled towards the smooth tiles of the gallery floor.

Sasuke heard her gasp of pain as he rushed towards the fallen woman's side. "Are you okay?"

Sakura shook her head. "My ankle. I'm not really having the best day am I?" She muttered.

"Come on," Sasuke scooped her up in his arms and ignored her squeak of surprise. "Let me take you to the office. I'll go lock up then take you to A and E to get you checked out."

"You don't have to do this, really."

"I know. Now hush."

Sakura huffed in protest but remained silent.

The security office was a small room containing two desks and a small bank of security monitors for the special exhibitions section. There should have been another security guard back here observing things but Sasuke knew that as soon as eight o'clock rolled around, Suigetsu was out of the door and in the bar.

Placing Sakura on one of the office chairs, Sasuke unclipped his keys from his belt and glanced at her. "I have to go and lock down the gallery. I'll be back in a moment."

Sakura nodded and Sasuke felt her eyes follow him out of the room.

His evening seemed to be turning in to a mixed bag. The last thing he wanted on a Friday evening was to be in the hospital with a stranger, but he couldn't deny that Sakura intrigued him.

When the doors were locked, the lights were down and the pressure alarms were checked, Sasuke made his way back to the office. Sakura was still on the chair and had kicked off her ridiculously high heels. She was using her uninjured foot to spin the chair round, her dark hair whipping out behind her. She spotted Sasuke on one of her revolutions and smiled.

"Finally! I was beginning to think that you'd left me here." She looked at her lap, her rouged lips curving at the corners. "I appreciate your concern, but I think my ankle is fine. No swelling at all, look."

She raised her right leg up, and Sasuke was suddenly struck by the fact that her dress was much shorter when she was sitting down.

Approaching warily, Sasuke _did_ look. Her ankle was narrow and delicate, no sign of injury present.

"You can touch." Sasuke's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair as Sakura bit her lip coyly. "I'm sorry. I'm never nearly this bold."

At a loss, being as socially inept as ever, Sasuke stood frozen as Sakura stood up, pressing herself against him. His hands, as though on their own volition, wandered up to her hair, his fingers tangling in the ebony locks. He froze as the hair moved with his fingers, the hairline slipping backwards and revealing a scalp full of pink hair.

His shocked eyes flew to Sakura's grinning face. The pinkette pressed a quick kiss to his lips and Sasuke felt a sharp pain at the base of his skull.

Then darkness.

* * *

><p>The room was blurry as Sasuke came to, his head throbbing and his wrists aching in their position tied behind his back.<p>

The events of the evening came back to him and he panicked. Looking around for Sakura, and yet knowing it was a hopeless cause, he saw that her shoes and bag were gone and that he was tied to the leg of his desk.

One of the sticky notes from his desk had been stuck to the edge of the desk and he could make out the feminine handwriting quite clearly.

_**Thanks for the story.**_

_**xxx**_

Lips covered in bright red lipstick had left a kiss print on the note and Sasuke felt his stomach drop as he realised that his keys were missing from his belt.

His eyes swung towards the security monitors. Even from his seated position he could see all six screens. His eyes sought out screen four and then he swore aloud at what his eyes _didn't_ see.

The jade katana was missing and in its place was a familiar black wig.

* * *

><p><strong>Why is it so gratifying to mess with Sasuke?<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this shorter one-shot. A big thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter.**

**I'm now using twitter like a mad-woman, so make sure to hit me up if you're a twitter user.**

**(And no, I haven't forgot about echoes. Chapter 8 is well underway.)  
><strong>


	3. Sword

**This follows on from Chapter One – Arabia.**

**I loved creating that world so I couldn't just leave it. Expect further parts to this little saga.**

* * *

><p>Prompt # 48<p>

Sword

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><p>They had put a fair amount of distance between themselves and the port, leaving Gaara far behind in his palace of sand.<p>

The crew that had been waiting on the ship had stared in confusion at the pink-haired woman who had bored the ship with their captain – the smile on her face halting speculations that she may be a prisoner or hostage.

A full day of sailing had not put an end to the staring and Sasuke could notice some of the men staring openly at the bared skin Sakura's outfit showed. Sasuke rolled his eyes – whether at his men or the annoyance he felt at the strange feeling building up in his chest – Sasuke did not know.

Sasuke walked over to where the girl was leaning over the railing, her wide eyes sparkling in the dying sun. "You'll fall in." Sasuke stated flatly.

Sakura straightened up and smiled at him. "I've never seen the ocean like this before... never sailed on it." Her face fell a little. "My... tribe would usually travel through the deserts." She turned her head away to hide her sadness from Sasuke but he was not fooled.

He knew that she had been hurt terribly by the man she had considered to be like a father to her. His eyes trailed along her bare arms and down the smooth skin shown through the splits in her skirt and that unusual feeling bubbled up in him again.

His fingers reached out and grasped her wrist loosely. "Come on." He led the silent girl across the deck of the dhow and down in to the depths. He led her to a narrow corridor empty save for a door on one side. Pushing it open he had Sakura follow him in and she saw that it was a bedroom, larger than she would have thought for a ship, and very beautifully decorated.

"This is your room?" Sakura asked, looking around at the jewel-bright rugs and silk panels on the walls. At Sasuke's vague noise of confirmation she giggled. "I never thought you would have such good taste."

She eyed the tattered silk scarf that was now resting around the man's neck (it had been it pulled up to shield most of his face in the palace) and sighed inwardly. Sasuke was a man of contradictions – he was so obviously rough and ready for action, and yet it was clear he appreciated comforts and fine material things.

Sasuke was rifling through an ornate black chest, his back to her as he answered he. "I pick up all sorts of things on my travels." He mumbled. "The things I like, I keep." He turned around then, a bundle of cloth in his hands. "Here." He held it out to Sakura who took it curiously.

She unfurled the fabric and saw it was a pair of dark brown trousers and a white shirt. She raised an eyebrow at Sasuke who turned away, a disgruntled look on his face.

"You're distracting my crew in that outfit. You should wear something more practical."

Sakura felt her mouth twitch and fought to smother the smile threatening to blossom. "Thank you." She said softly and Sasuke jerked his head in an odd little nod.

"I'll be on deck once you've finished."

* * *

><p>Sasuke walked back towards the deck and felt a weight in his pocket. He realised that it was the spoils of their trip to Gaara's palace. Sasuke had intended to lock it up in his room, in a place known only to him, but hit had slipped his mind. He had been in such a rush to leave the room he had forgotten.<p>

Sasuke ran a frustrated hand down his face – that girl was proving to be a greater pain in his side than he could have guessed.

"Hey Teme." Naruto bounded over to the brooding man.

Sasuke sent the man a glare. "I'm well within my rights to throw you off this ship, Dobe. I'm still your captain."

Naruto grinned and crossed his arms behind his head. "Sorry, Captain Teme."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let it go – Naruto would never change.

"So," Naruto began, "What's got you all thoughtful?"

Sasuke ignored the question and turned his head towards the horizon. "Does Shikamaru have us on course?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded. "We can drop of the... well whatever that thing you took from Gaara is and then head on back out. Do you think this time we can go somewhere nice a relaxing? Not that I don't love what we do but sometime the spears and swords get a little old and I-"

Sasuke dad stopped listening. He caught sight of a flash of pink over Naruto's shoulder and watched as Sakura emerged back up on to the deck. The clothes he had given her, while being the smallest sizes he had lying around, were much too big on the girl. She had rolled the trousers up to just below her knees and the white shirt fell past her hips and was slipping off one shoulder.

It was a stark change to the provocative clothes she had been wearing previously and yet was no less appealing to Sasuke. She was all wide, green eyes and loose hair flowing around her shoulders. She looked...

"Ah Sakura!" Naruto had apparently realised Sasuke's attention had drifted. "You look so cute." Naruto rushed forward and scooped the girl up, swinging her about as she squeaked in surprise.

"Idiot, let her down." Sasuke frowned.

Naruto obeyed and set Sakura on her feet. "Sorry." He laughed

"It's okay." Sakura smiled. There was an awkward silence as Sakura looked at her still-bare feet. "What do you want me to do?"

Sasuke and Naruto shared a confused look at Sakura's question. "What do you mean?"

Sakura smiled weakly. "Well I don't expect a free ride. There must be something I can do to pay my way."

Sasuke smirked. "I already told you, you'll be a crew member. You could probably help me keep these miscreants in line."

Naruto laughed at Sasuke's words. "I hear you've got fire in you, Sakura. You'll have the crew fearing for their lives in no time."

"They will be if they see her try to use a sword." Sasuke was amused at the fierce look Sakura sent him.

"Alright, we can teach you how to fight when we get home."

"Home?" Sakura questioned.

"Yep," Naruto grinned. "You'll love it."

"Dobe, is your memory really that short?" Sasuke sighed. "We have something to do first, remember?"

Naruto deflated visibly. "Oh yeah... the package." His eyes brightened just as quickly as they had dulled. "Well I say we teach Sakura the basics now then. We won't be able to do as much in such a small place but it will kill the time."

Sasuke regarded the girl, looking for all the world like a child in her oversized clothes and doll-like features.

"Alright."

* * *

><p>The deck had been cleared of the crew, their course was set steady, and Sasuke stood with his sword held loosely in his right hand. Naruto was smiling brightly as usual, twirling his blade flamboyantly, the sun glinting off the metal as it completely disappeared below the horizon.<p>

The crew had lit the torches around the ship as usual, and had lined up along the edge of the boat, forming a circle around their captain, Naruto and the pink-haired addition to the ship. Some men were stood on the rail of the boat to get a better look, hands grasping the rigging of the sails to remain in place.

Sakura looked from Sasuke to Naruto with an unsure expression on her face.

"Here." Sasuke held the sword out to Sakura.

She took it and her cheeks heated as she heard a few of the men snicker. She knew she must have made quite a sight: the sword was quite thin and was longer than average but was very light. She must have looked very undersized to be wielding such a weapon. She held the sword with a firm grip and straight out towards Naruto.

"Like this?" She asked Sasuke.

The captain's lips held a hint of a smirk. "We'll soon see won't we?" With that he nodded at Naruto who took a step forward at Sakura.

She moved instinctively, circling around and away from the approaching man. Naruto reached out with the tip of his sword and caught the end of Sakura's long blade, forcing it sideways and sending the girl staggering in a circle. By the time she had caught herself, Naruto had the blunt side of the blade pressed against her throat.

Sakura sighed and dipped her head. Naruto ruffled her hair and stepped back from her.

"My sword is not like Naruto's." Sasuke said, stepping towards the girl. "If you look you'll see it is considerably longer and not as hardy. Not all blades are the same. Naruto favours blades that are shorter and more suited to blunt force... much like himself." The crew sniggered again and Naruto sent Sasuke a choice gesture with his hand.

"Seems like it was effective though." Sakura muttered. "Well that would be because you're holding the sword wrong. You are using it as if it was a much shorter sword." Sasuke stepped forward and loosened Sakura's fingers from around the handle. "Here."

He held the sword so the blade pointed straight out the side and had Sakura close her hand over it, her palm facing the floor and the back of hand upwards, as though she had just sent a punch forward.

"This is how this blade should be wielded." Sasuke said, stepping back.

"But won't this mean Naruto can get close to me?" Sakura looked down at her frame. Her right hand was up to about chin height, the blade providing cover for her right side only and leaving her face and left side clear. It didn't seem as though it would do any good.

At Sasuke's signal, Naruto moved forward, raising his sword. Sakura flinched but found her arm moved instinctively, pushing to the left and up, and blocking Naruto's (very soft) blow with ease.

"Your movement is not restricted like this." Sasuke said. "And look." He moved behind Sakura and closed his hand over her own. Naruto hand remained where he was, allowing Sasuke to demonstrate. Sakura felt her heart rate pick up as Sasuke's warm body pressed against her back. He spoke with his mouth near her ear.

"This blade is long, while you have to allow your opponent to get close to effectively block, it also makes it harder for them to retreat in time." He pushed Sakura's fist down and pulled it back towards her chest, letting her wrist twist. The blade swung upwards and outwards and Naruto had to fall backwards to avoid being caught by it.

Sasuke released his grip on Sakura and moved to pull Naruto to his feet. "I prefer my blade because it does not just rely on brute strength. Speed and cunning are what make it a deadly weapon, not the muscle behind it."

Sakura nodded in understanding. She would be outsized and outmuscled by any man on this ship, Sasuke was showing her that the best weapons enhanced the wielder's skills. She didn't think such a long sword was for her, but she imagined something similar would suit her more than a heavy blade like Naruto's.

"Why don't you try some sparring?" Sasuke smirked – he was not oblivious to the dusting of pink on Sakura's cheeks.

Sakura looked at him in panic. "What!?"

"Relax, I won't hurt you." Naruto smiled gently, trying to allay her fears.

Sakura watched as Sasuke moved to stand with the rest of the crew. "Really? You teach me how to hold a sword and you think that will be enough?"

"You can't learn everything from instruction. Some things have to be tried out for real. Besides, I know you have talent – _sand viper_." Sakura narrowed her eyes as Sasuke used the name Gaara had called her before their escape. She'd show him sand viper...

She adjusted the sword, trying to mimic the way Sasuke had placed it but felt that she was probably doing it wrong. Naruto came at her and she was quick to block. It carried on this way for a while, with Sakura loathe to take a swing lest she accidentally hurt Naruto.

Naruto picked up on her hesitation and smiled as their blades were locked. "Don't hold back, Sakura. I'm tougher than I look!"

Sakura tried her hand at attacking, but was still extremely hesitant. So focused was she that she barely registered Sasuke's warning to widen her stance. As it was, the next block and shove from Naruto sent her stumbling. She dropped the sword and reeled backwards in to the arms of one of the watching crew members.

Unfortunately for Kiba Inuzuka however, one of his hands happened to land on quite a... delicate part of Sakura's body.

The crew watched as Sakura turned spectacularly red and her fists clenched. She jerked out of Kiba's grip and reeled around, punching the bemused man square in the face.

Sasuke would later deny that he gaped along with everyone else as Kiba went hurtling back over the rail on the ship and in to the water.

The stunned silence was broken by Naruto's howls of laughter.

Kakashi, stood closest to Sasuke chuckled also. "Why are you bothering with a sword when she can punch like that?"

* * *

><p>Once Kiba had been fished out of the water, and both he and Sakura had apologised to one another, the crew sat around on the deck, enjoying the warm night air as they ate supper. The men had warmed to Sakura after the earlier incidents and were curious as to why she was there but seemed pleased to have some new company regardless of their gender.<p>

Sakura soon learned that they were a ragtag bunch of misfits and castaways; people who society had disregarded or who life had trodden in to the dirt. They were lovely though, and Sakura couldn't recall meeting a nicer bunch of people.

There was Kiba, roguish grin (and now two black eyes) permanently in place, whose family had sold tamed wolves to aid hunters. The wealthy lord who had owned their land took possession of it however and left the Inuzuka's penniless. While his parents and older sister had been forced to move on and try to rebuild the business, Kiba had left to find his fortune... and had found a pirate crew instead.

Shikamaru was the navigator and all round genius. His family had expected him to study the arts of al-kimia but Shikamaru was astoundingly lazy. His aptitude was met only by his laziness and he soon found himself with no mentor and had "brought shame upon his family". It must have seemed like heaven on earth for Shikamaru to have found Sasuke's crew and a profession where he was under the wide open sky most days. The fact that before his tutelage had ended he had learned the art of crafting explosives did not hinder his acceptance on to the ship either.

There were so many crew members and all with interesting stories, that Sakura found her head spinning.

Naruto had been an orphan since he was a baby. He grew up on the streets and learned how to defend himself and survive. Lacking family ties Sasuke was the first person he had felt any form of attachment to, and he was a fierce friend.

Sasuke himself... well Sakura didn't know that story yet. She knew that he was a thief, a talented fighter and had crossed Gaara more than once in the past. He had a penchant for luxury and suspiciously good taste for someone who raised themselves on the street. From what she had gathered on passing from Naruto's story, Sasuke had been a street urchin too, eventually befriending Naruto and coming under the care of Kakashi. Anything before that (and most of beyond) was a mystery to Sakura still.

"So what's your story?" Kiba peered at Sakura from over his cup.

Sakura started. "My story?"

"Yeah. How did you come to join our motley crew. Unless I'm very unobservant you weren't with us when Sasuke set out for the palace."

Sakura smiled. "Haven't you answered your own question there?"

Kiba grimaced. "Why are women always difficult. Yes I know Sasuke found you at the palace. What I'm asking is why did you go with him?"

Sakura studied her own drink for a long while and Sasuke found himself interested to hear what she would say. She looked up at Kiba and shrugged lightly. "He jumped out of a window with me."

The men who had been listening blinked at that and Kiba let out a distant-sounding "Oh."

Sakura laughed sadly. "Sorry, I suppose you're right – I am being difficult. You've all told me about your lives and I'm not being very forthcoming."

"You don't have to." Sasuke spoke up and Sakura smiled gratefully but shook her head.

"No, it's fine." She tilted her head back and stared at the stars above as she spoke. "I don't remember much until the time I was seven. I had apparently grown up the other side of the desert, a long way from here. The tribe found me in a village burnt to the ground... there were no other people alive there.

"They took me in and raised me as one of their own. They were nomads – we didn't stay in one place too long. We would make a living by performing."

"Performing?" Naruto perked up.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Singing and dancing. Sometimes we would just be on the streets and other times the rich would pay us to perform at special events. I seemed to show a knack for dance and earned the favour of the chief. Sometimes the lords would request a more... private performance."

The men shifted uncomfortably as they realised what she had faced.

"Did the chief let-"

"No." Sakura cut Sasuke off sharply. "He had grown to be a father to me. He was always the most fierce guardian of my honour... until last night."

Everyone save Sasuke looked confused. Sakura shifted her gaze to the side, avoiding eye contact with the others.

"Gaara offered the chief just enough that he agreed to sell me off – not even for a night but for life."

Naruto spluttered a few choice words at that and the others, who had mothers, sisters or special women at home shook their heads in disgust.

Sakura tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her right ear and glanced shyly at the captain. "That's where Sasuke came in. He hit Gaara and then we jumped out of a window to escape."

"So you weren't kidding then?" Kiba laughed.

Sakura joined in with him. "No. Then we faced some of Gaara's men in the courtyard."

"And I saved the day. Believe it!" Naruto stood up and struck a heroic pose.

The other men jeered at the poor acting and pelted the blonde with the scraps from their supper. Naruto quickly sat down and Sakura smiled at him brightly.

"You did." She picked a few lumps of bred from his hair. "And you all know the rest."

"So oh great captain, what happens next?" Sasuke sent Kakashi a withering glare as the rest of the crew turned their attention to him. He glanced at Sakura and saw that she was tracing circles on the floor next to her, avoiding his gaze.

"She stays." He said simply and Sakura stilled. "We teach her to fight and survive and if the time comes that she then wants to make her own way we won't stop her." Sakura sent Sasuke a dazzling smile and the rest of the crew cheered. "But first we need to drop of our cargo... then we head for home."

* * *

><p>They sailed through the night and then for a further half a day, reaching their destination when the sun was high in the sky.<p>

Sakura stood at the prow of the ship, watching the landscape grow larger. "This is where your... client lives?" She asked Sasuke.

Honestly, the island they had made berth at did not appear too hospitable to any form of life.

"Yes." The captain muttered. "He is quite reclusive." Sakura stared at the overgrown jungle spilling forth on to the beach, the dark green leaves tinged with purple and an eerie fog tumbling across the water.

"Would you like to come?" When Sakura hesitated Sasuke smirked. "You could always stay here if you're scared of course."

Sakura bristled. "I'm not scared!" She turned on her heel and marched over to where the crew had lowered a gangplank on to the beach.

Sasuke watched as the woman skipped down the wood lightly, her natural grace very apparent. Naruto and Kakashi accompanied them. They did not need a large crew for tis task, and most of the men were loath to step foot on the island in any case.

Sasuke led the way through the trees, ducking here and there to avoid trailing vines. He glanced back and saw that while Naruto and Kakashi were close behind, Sakura was lagging a little, being very cautious about what she stepped on. Sasuke glanced down at her feet and inwardly slapped himself for forgetting a crucial fact – she was barefoot.

Sasuke paused and gestured the other men to move ahead. He waited for Sakura to reach him and looked down at her in mock exasperation.

"What?" She asked defensively.

Sasuke turned around and crouched down. "Get on."

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "Get on. You're lagging behind and I want to get this done. Besides, our client likes to keep snakes so bare feet are probably not a great idea."

"Snakes?" Sakura looked at the floor in a panic, as though expecting to see a python suddenly lying before her.

Without further complaint she scrambled up on to Sasuke's back. The man straightened out and followed after Naruto and Kakashi.

"You know, Sakura's breath tickled his ear as she spoke. "This is beginning to become a common thing. You carrying me around like this."

"Don't worry." Sasuke smirked. "As soon as we get home you're buying some shoes."

Sakura made a noise of disgust. "I hate shoes, damn uncomfortable things. Besides, you'd miss carrying me ."

Sasuke didn't reply, instead hiking Sakura up a little further on his back. The girl squeaked in surprise and Sasuke smirked.

Naruto and Kakashi were waiting at the mouth of a small clearing by the time Sasuke caught up with them. He slid Sakura down his back and she landed lightly on the floor. Her wide green eyes took in the gloomy looking shack in the middle of the clearing and she wrinkled her nose.

"Your client I presume?"

Sasuke nodded and approached the door. He raised a hand to knock but the door swung inwards before he could make contact.

A silver haired man stood before the group, blinking slowly. "Come in." He whispered. "Orochimaru is waiting for you."

Sakura stayed close to Sasuke's back as she slipped past the man and in to the dim interior of the house. The shack had only one room and no windows. A sweet, cloying scent tickled Sakura's nose and smoke from the fireplace irritated the back of her throat. She felt sweat beading on her brow from the smothering heat of the room.

A wet shine drew her attention to the corner of the room where she saw a skeletal figure was sat. The shine Sakura had seen was the man's hair, long and black and a completely at odds with the waxy paleness of his skin. Despite the rich colour of his hair, the man looked ancient, all withered away where he sat, but intelligent yellow eyes watched their progress across the room.

"Ah, Sasuke. You've returned sooner than I anticipated." His eyes flicked over Sakura's form, who then tucked herself even further in to Sasuke's shadow. "And it appears you returned with spoils of your own. I trust you have mine also."

Sasuke pulled a small drawstring back from his belt and tossed it towards Orochimaru. A bony hand shot out and grasped it in mid-air. He turned the contents out onto his other hand and Sakura watched as a small glass orb appeared.

"Perfect." Orochimaru hissed, his eyes alight with excitement. "I had feared... but no, this is what was needed." He raised his empty hand and gestured to the silver-haired man.

"Sasuke's payment if you please, Kabuto."

Kabuto carried a small chest over to the group. Sasuke flipped open the two latches on the chest and opened up the lid. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the sheer amount of gold within.

Her shock quickly drained from her as she felt something smooth and cool move across her bare feet. She looked down just in time to see a white snake with purple diamond markings along its back slither over her toes. Shrieking, Sakura jumped backwards and bumped in to Kakashi's chest.

With great agility she scrambled up Kakashi like a monkey and wrapped her legs around his middle, her face buried in his chest. The tall man laughed nervously as Sasuke gave him an angry look and tried to shift Sakura but the girl would not move.

Orochimaru had looked up in interest and an odd smile twisted his lips. "Scared of snakes my dear? They are such misunderstood creatures."

Sasuke closed the lid of the chest with a snap. "If we're done?"

"Yes." Orochimaru said softly. "You have lived up to my expectations once more, Sasuke. The next time you pass, please stop in. I may have another job for you."

Sasuke nodded and the four left without hesitation, Sakura still attached to Kakashi's front. They made clear of the shack and were back on the jungle path before Sasuke came to a halt.

"Kakashi? Would you mind?" Kakashi had never before seen the captain – dare he say? – jealous, but he quickly realised he didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

"Believe me, I've tried."

Sasuke sighed, passing the chest to Naruto before touching Sakura's back. "Come on, we're out of there."

"No." Sakura said petulantly. "You said yourself that this place is full of snakes."

Sasuke scowled at her stubbornness. "I only said it to scare you."

"Well it worked!" She snapped back. "I'm not setting foot on this floor again."

* * *

><p>The crew watched in confusion as their crewmates arrived back at the ship: one laughing first-mate, a glaring captain and a pink-haired woman clinging to the chest of a particularly nervous-looking Hatake. They decided not to ask.<p>

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Sasuke who shook his head as he passed. "Shut up. Just set a course for home."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued I guess...<strong>

**Also, when I picture the Sasuke in this setting, in terms of clothes etc. I'm thinking along the lines of the Prince from Prince of Persia (2008)... just so you know :)  
><strong>


	4. Japan

Prompt #03

Japan

* * *

><p>Sakura stared out of the window of the plane as it began its landing sequence. They banked steeply and she caught sight of the sprawling city below. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back in to her seat, trying to ignore the slight tremble of the plane as it touch down on the runway. She didn't want to open her eyes – didn't want to be here in this country.<p>

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Sakura peeled open one tired, green eye to see a sympathetic looking stewardess looking at her.

"We've landed. You are free to begin disembarking."

Sakura mumbled her thanks and stood, wincing at the stiffness in her legs. She grabbed her carry on bag and threw it over her shoulder and allowed the friendly stewardess to accompany her through the tunnel from the plane and in to the terminal. The woman smiled and bowed politely as she left Sakura stood by the luggage carousel.

"Welcome to Tokyo." She chirped before scurrying away.

"Yeah. Thanks." Sakura would have winced at the lack of enthusiasm in her voice had she been feeling anything other than a bone-deep sadness. She stood there, surrounded by excitedly chattering people all waiting for their bags so they could begin their holidays and enjoy a couple of weeks away from the normality of home.

But this wasn't a holiday for Sakura; it was going to be her life now.

The first pieces of luggage began to make their way around the carousel and Sakura was surprised that hers were among the first. She grabbed the pink suitcase as it passed but was not quick enough to grasp the second. Sighing, she had no choice but to wait while the belt went round again and soon enough she had a hold of all her luggage.

The rest of her things were being freighted over – she had already had to pay a fine, exceeding the luggage weight limit as she had.

She made towards the arrivals lounge with her bags in tow, moving awkwardly until a helpful man offered her use of a luggage trolley. Emerging in to the main terminal, Sakura swallowed as she watched families being reunited and happy expressions all around. Her throat closed up as she suddenly felt very alone. While the airport was not as busy as Heathrow had been, the press of people around her left her feeling out or sorts and she took deep, steadying breaths.

"Sakura?"

She turned around, coming face to face with a smiling blonde woman.

"Tsunade-obasan." The language felt strange on her tongue – out of practice and too formal.

Tsunade smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can stick to English, it's fine. You'll be a fluent Japanese speaker soon."

Sakura's lips attempted to turn upwards but she failed miserably. She observed her Aunt and noticed that her face was rather drawn and the lines around her eyes were deeper.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Sakura watched the city fly past as her Aunt drove them away from the airport and towards Sakura's new life.

She wanted to be back in England, enjoying the feeling of finishing her A-Levels and looking forward to one last summer with her friends.

Things wouldn't quite work out the way she planned.

She had a place at University College London to study medicine. Her parents had been so proud, always bragging that their daughter had been accepted to one of the world's best universities. Of course, it all relied on her actually achieving the grades needed in her A-Levels but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would do it.

Now she would not be going to university until the next April – a full 10 months away.

It was confusing, having to forget that her school year would no longer run from September to July. She could have enrolled immediately in Japan and caught up on the first month or so, but honestly she was not feeling very motivated. Her place at UCL had been lost and now she would be attending the University of Tokyo, her Aunt's alma mater.

She had almost a year to find her feet in this new city before having to focus on her studies again.

"I'm sorry Sakura." She glanced over at her Aunt and her amber eyes briefly met Sakura's.

"It's not your fault." Sakura whispered and looked down at her lap.

Her Aunt looked nothing like her father and that was a good thing, she felt. She only had to deal with unbidden memories when she caught her own eyes in the mirror.

It had been almost a month since the crash. Sakura had been eighteen when it happened and although an orphan, she was still an adult. Honestly she could have been preparing to move to London as she had always planned, but the idea of being alone?

When her Aunt, her only living relative, had offered her a place to live, Sakura had been tempted.

She had puzzled over it for days on end before deciding that it was better not to be alone – even if that meant moving to Japan.

"We're here."

Tsunade had pulled up to a neat, decent sized house. Sakura climbed out the car and looked around. It looked so different to her winding little street back in England. There was no woodland over the road where she would play as a child and no stream where she slipped and fell while trying to catch frogs.

While the clean and well-ordered foliage lining her Aunt's road was still pretty, it didn't have the memories that she had been surrounded by for eighteen years.

Her Aunt hefted both bags up in her arms and led Sakura to the house. It had been a long time since she had been in Japan and she almost walked straight in to the house in her outdoor shoes. She paused and toed off her Converse, finding that Tsunade had already bought her a pair of house slippers to wear.

Tsunade led the way up the stairs and placed Sakura's bags in the room that would now be hers. Seemed to realise that her niece wasn't feeling very sociable, Tsunade left Sakura in peace.

Sakura looked around at the plain walls and sighed sadly. Whoever said fresh starts were always a good thing?

* * *

><p>Sakura discovered several things during her first weeks in Japan: the sunrises were beautiful, the moon seemed a lot larger here than in England, and most importantly she he found out that she sucked at being Japanese.<p>

Really, she thought to herself as she peered at road sign over her head, it was in her blood and yet she could hardly speak it and her reading was even worse! Her Aunt assured her that it would come back to her – she had been taught of her heritage as a child, her father made sure of that. When Sakura had grown older however, her Japanese slipped to the back of her mind. While she had occasionally spoken it with her father, when her grandparents had died while she was aged twelve, she had no real reason to be speaking it regularly – no more weekly phone calls informing them of her life half a world away.

Tsunade was confident that by the time she started school again she would be perfect in all areas of Japanese speech and writing, but as it stood currently that didn't help her.

On her Aunt's request, Sakura had decided to go out and explore Tokyo. She had spent the day travelling around via the packed subway system but now found herself in a predicament – she had no clue where she was or how to get back to her house.

"Now do I want Shinjuku or Shibuya?" Sakura blinked and then smacked herself in the head. "I'm an idiot, I can't even remember where I live!" She glanced around, hoping to see a sign in English or at least something she understood. "Where am I?"

She studied the signs about her and mustered up all her knowledge of Japanese. "Shin-ju-ku." She hummed appreciatively. "Okay, I'm in Shinjuku and I need to get back to Shibuya." She closed her eyes and recalled what her father had taught her of Tokyo and its special wards. She was pretty sure they were next to each other.

She opened her eyes and saw that there was a man watching her, at least she thought he was looking at her – she couldn't be too sure with the sunglasses hiding half of his face. He had a hat on his head, blocking out the glare of the sun but the smirk on his lips was clear to see.

Sakura flushed, realising she had been stood talking to herself and turned to the right, walking with purpose and intending to find a subway and just go from there.

" _Anata wa machigatta michi o susunde iru." _

Sakura froze at the voice. She was pretty sure he had just told her she was going the wrong way. She faced him but he hadn't moved away from the wall. _'Oh great, my first attempt at not looking like a complete tourist and it's failing miserably.'_ She licked her lips as she tried to get her tired mind to work.

"Erm... _machiga_-" she paused – was that the right word? Deciding to go for it she tried again "_Machigatta hōhō?_"

The man pushed off from the wall but didn't close the gap, his mouth twitching up even higher. "Yes, 'the wrong way.'"

He switched to English and Sakura was impressed how flawlessly he spoke. "I heard you talking about Shibuya? Well if you carry on that way," he pointed at the direction she had been headed. "You'll end up in Kabukicho."

At Sakura's blank look he sighed. "It's a red light district."

Sakura blushed and bowed. "Thank you, erm arigato I mean-"

"Why don't we stick with English?"

Sakura straightened and smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Er... so could you tell me the way to Shibuya?"

The man eyed stayed silent and Sakura began to feel awkward.

"Okay." He said finally. "But can we walk?"

"You don't have to go the whole way, you can just point me in the direction and I'll –"

"Get lost again?" The man's lips curled up and Sakura bristled.

"I was not lost, I was exploring!"

"It counts as lost if you never return from your expedition."

Sakura huffed and turned her head away. "Well come on then, if you're going to help. I want to get home."

They fell in to step and began the walk back to Shibuya.

"You aren't from around here." Her companion pointed out.

"Am I that obvious?" She sighed.

"Yes."

"Wow. Thanks." She said sarcastically.

"So where are you from?" He pressed and Sakura snorted.

"Hey, hang on a minute, I'm not sure I should be chatting to you like this. I mean I don't even know your name… plus you look a bit shifty with that get up on." She motioned to his hat and glasses.

Her guide stopped walking and Sakura paused too. His shoulders were tensed and he glanced around.

"My name is Sasuke." He said quietly.

Sakura nodded. "Cool. I'm Sakura."

Sakura had no clue why his mouth dropped open a little but she swiped at her cheek as inconspicuously as she could –was there something on her face?

Sasuke soon snapped out of it and closed the gap between them. He reached up and lowered his sunglasses, letting Sakura see a ridiculously handsome face. Sakura found the dark eyes staring at her too hard to meet and averted her gaze, cursing herself as she felt the blush creeping over her cheeks.

Sasuke tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"I just thought that for you to be hiding your face like that you must have something to hide."

Sasuke smirked and slid the glasses back on his face. "And?"

"And," Sakura said, a smile pulling at her lips for the first time in weeks. "I was right: you're hideous."

Even with his stupid sunglasses on, Sakura could tell he had a stunned expression on his face. She felt the laughter bubble up from her stomach and found herself laughing heartily. It had felt like forever since something had made her laugh, she realised, and she felt a sudden bittersweet stab of guilt – why was she here laughing when her parents– ?

Sakura stopped her chortling and pressed the heels of her palms in to her eyes, stopping the tears before they could fall. She glanced at Sasuke who was watching her with furrowed eyebrows. He opened his mouth but she cut him off before he could speak, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Come on! We're wasting daylight."

There was silence as they continued their walk until Sasuke returned to his previous question. "So where are you from?"

"I'm from here now." Sakura gestured to the city around them. "Japan is my home now I suppose."

"And before?"

"England. I was raised there, but born here." She smiled to herself and reached in to the neckline of her top, pulling out the long chain she had worn constantly for the past month. She kept her hand clasped around the two gold rings that dangled on it. Though the warmth of her parents' flesh had faded from the metal, she still liked to feel as though they were with her.

"My father was from Tokyo. He met my mother while she was here on holiday. They fell in love and she never left. When I was born I guess she realised how much she wanted to be with her parents and so my father agreed to move us to England. I grew up there... guess that's why my Japanese is so poor, I only ever really used it when talking to my grandparents over the phone."

"Why did your parents decide to move back?" Sasuke asked.

"They didn't." She whispered, opening her hand and letting him see what was dangling from the necklace. "They died a couple of months ago."

"I'm sorry."

Sakura found it odd how often people apologised for death when it was not their fault – unfortunately there were some things that an apology could not fix. She dropped the necklace back inside her top and sighed. "Thanks."

"Did you choose to come here then?"

"Sort of. I was old enough to live on my own but... I don't know, I guess leaving a place I'd known for my whole life was less scary than having no one. I'm living with my Aunt at the moment. She was my dad's older sister and the only person I have left in the world."

"I hope you come to like it here." Sasuke intoned quietly.

She glanced at her companion and offered him a lacklustre smile, the topic having taken its toll on her. "Me too."

The rest of the walk home was more light-hearted when Sasuke took it upon himself to quiz her knowledge of Japanese.

"You want to do what to my goat?" He sniggered as Sakura finished replying to one of his incomprehensible sentences.

She looked at him horrified. "I did not say any such thing!"

He shrugged, amused look still on his face. "If you say so, just perhaps stay away from any petting zoos."

The walk was going by quickly, and Sasuke assured her the walk wasn't all that long. Sakura was enjoying herself for the first time in a long while and she continued their conversation, turning the tables.

"So what about you?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

Sakura pouted. "Well I've shared my story so I guess it's your turn."

She could see the smirk on his mouth. "Not much to tell, just a guy born and bred in Tokyo."

"Are you in school?"

"Nope."

"University then?"

"No, I didn't go to university. Spent a lot of my high school career being home taught too." She mirrored his quizzical expression from earlier and he shrugged. "I travelled a lot... still do actually."

"Sounds..."

"Exciting?" he supplied.

Sakura shook her head. "A bit depressing." She glanced at him. "You know a couple of months ago I would have thought travelling the world would be amazing but now... I don't know, I guess the idea of having a home appeals to me more."

"Understandable." Sasuke nodded.

"So what do you do on your travels?"

"A little of this, a little of that."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Okay fine, keep your secrets."

They turned a corner and Sakura brightened. "Hey! I know where I am now. Thanks Sasuke."

"Let me walk you the rest of the way, It's getting dark."

Sakura didn't protest, she had enjoyed his company greatly.

They came to a stop outside her Aunt's house and Sakura smiled at him "Sorry for taking up so much of your time."

"No problem." He hesitated a moment before digging a hand in his pocket and pulling out a shiny, black phone. "Perhaps I can have your number... in case you ever get lost in Tokyo again?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, reaching for the phone before a thought struck her. Sighing, the smile slid off her face. "I haven't got around to getting a phone contract here yet. I have my old phone but... well it's not much use outside of England."

Sasuke nodded and quirked the corner of his lip upwards. "No problem. I'll ask again when you have a new phone. See you."

"Hey, you aren't walking all that way back are you?"

"I'll call a lift."

"Why do you hate the subway so much? Claustrophobic?"

"Something like that." Sasuke laughed, waving once more before disappearing around the corner.

Sakura was very puzzled by the man and yet undeniably pleased that he seemed to be planning to see her again.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on her bed, headset on and eyes fixed to the computer screen. She had figured out that it actually drove her crazy to sit around doing nothing. Deciding to put her free time to use, she had loaded a language course on to her laptop and was currently brushing up on her Japanese.<p>

She was pleased that she had been able to fly through the beginner levels – that would have just been embarrassing – but at least this would keep her busy for a while. Her Aunt was at work at the hospital and was away for long stretches of time. Sakura had insisted she would be fine on her own – she had already eaten up too much of Tsunade's time she felt.

The sound of the doorbell broke her from her thoughts and she glanced towards the stairs, as though her mystery guest would suddenly appear there. Pulling the headset off, Sakura trotted down the stairs and glanced through the peep hole. Her eyebrows disappeared in to her hairline when she saw who was there.

"Sasuke?" She asked, opening the door.

"Good morning." He said.

"Erm... do you want to come in?"

He nodded and Sakura let him pass by her. She waited as he toed off his shoes and followed her to the kitchen in his socks.

"Drink?"

"Mizu."

Sakura smiled. "I actually understand that one."

She walked over to the fridge and placed a glass under the water dispenser, filling it with ice-cold water. She moved over to Sasuke she placed the water in front of him and he nodded in thanks.

"So to what do I owe this pleasure?" She was glad he had took his glasses off, and even his hat this time. She admired the shining ebony hair atop his head and the casual disarray of spikes that it took.

"I brought you something." He dug around in his pocket ad withdrew a nondescript black carrier bag, wrapped around something tightly.

Confused, Sakura took the bag and opened it. Inside was a small box, the picture on the front letting her know exactly what was inside.

"A phone?" She looked up at Sasuke who was eying her expectantly. "Are you crazy?" She almost screeched. "You can't go about giving people phones!"

"Why not?" He asked simply.

"Because you just met me."

"You didn't have a phone."

Sakura huffed and sat opposite him. "I wasn't hinting that I wanted you to buy me a phone. I would have gotten around to buying one eventually."

"Now you don't have to."

Shaking her head, Sakura began to open the box. "You're impossible."

Sakura observed the phone in the box and felt nervous to touch it – it seemed to be quite similar to the one she had seen Sasuke with yesterday, but was white instead of black.

"You just keep getting more mysterious you know. Please take it back?" She looked at him beseechingly.

"No." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Think of this as a purely selfish motive – you're the first person in a while I've enjoyed talking to."

"How honoured I am." Sakura muttered, switching the device on, surprised when it didn't take an age to start up.

"I already put my number in."

"Now you're beginning to scare me." She joked, placing the phone on the table. "So, what were you are you doing today?"

"Talking to you."

"Har har. What about afterwards?"

Sasuke shrugged and took a sip of water. "I haven't got plans yet."

"No job needed to pay for all that travelling you do?"

"It's... part time."

"I bet." Sakura muttered, her mind beginning to hurt keeping up with the strangeness.

"What were you doing?" Sasuke questioned.

"Trying to brush up on my Japanese."

"You'd learn better out there actually talking to people." He pointed out.

"I bet I would, but I would have no clue what they were saying to me most times."

"_Sonogo, nihongo de hanashimashou._"

Sakura blinked at the sudden change in language but understood that he was suggesting they talked in Japanese. She smiled and nodded.

"_Īdesu ne_." She agreed.

They spent a long while speaking – mostly in Japanese, though Sasuke was gracious and translated some things for her – and Sakura felt her tongue loosening up by the time Sasuke stood to leave.

"Thank you for coming to visit... are you sure you won't take the phone back?"

He sent her a mock glare. "Keep it. I won't be around for a few days so it could be useful."

"Travelling eh?"

"You could say that. I'm sure you don't want me to be alone on the road do you? A text or phone call could be all the difference in my happiness."

"You are an idiot." Sakura couldn't quite fight the smile tugging her lips. "Okay I'll hold on to it for your benefit. When will you be back?"

"At the end of the week... maybe Monday at the latest."

"Well, have fun... wherever it is you're going."

Sasuke nodded and stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Try not to wander too far in to Shinjuku again... I won't be there to help."

* * *

><p>Sakura barely left the house that week if she was being honest. Tsunade had took her shopping once and showed her the subway route she would need to take if she ever needed to get to the hospital to find her aunt, but other than that Sakura stayed in the house. She made an effort to read the local newspaper every morning, trying to bring her reading skills up to scratch.<p>

She watched television and listened to music, soaking up what was popular. The radio was almost constantly on in her room and she found herself falling in love with the music she heard. She was gaining a particular affection for J-Rock and in particular a band called Shinobi. She noticed their songs were played quite often and she made a mental note to Google them.

She had tried keeping up a good flow of contact with her friends back home, but the time difference and the fact that they were gearing up for their Fresher's year at uni left Sakura leaving a little isolated.

After spending a riveting Saturday in her room watching old sitcoms on her laptop Sakura decided that she should look in to getting a hobby – she needed friends other than Del Boy and Rodney after all.

Seeing how much Tsunade worked was almost enough to persuade Sakura to change her career plans but she didn't mind having the house to herself and not have to watch her Aunt studying her – checking to see if she was about to break in to tears.

Her parents were a crisp picture in her mind, her memories of them clear as day. It seemed a scarily long time since she had seen them. A couple of months should be no time at all, and yet she felt she had changed as a person – she was coping on her own in ways she would never have imagined she could before.

The tears still came at random moments – such as remembering how her mother had plaited her hair while she sat in front of her mirror one morning – and she was not always able to sleep peacefully. All in all however, she was feeling like she had found her feet in her new world… even if just a little.

* * *

><p>Sakura woke up on Sunday morning to an annoying buzzing in her ear. Groping around blindly, she grasped the phone she had placed under her pillow. She peered at the screen seeing Sasuke's name on the screen. She slid her thumb across the screen to accept the call and brought the device up to her ear.<p>

"Sasuke?" She stifled a yawn. "It's Sunday morning, what are you doing up so early?"

"I just got back to Tokyo. I thought you may want to see me... unless my absence has caused you to move on."

"Dork." She snorted. "Doing something sounds good though. Like what?"

"Think you could meet me somewhere?"

The 'and not get lost' was unspoken but Sakura heard it loud and clear. "I'm sure I could manage that."

"Meet me in Shinjuku, the Golden Gai neighbourhood."

Sakura searched around for a pen to write that down. "Golden Gai. Okay."

"Just take the East exit of Shinjuku Station. I'll meet you from there."

"Shinjuku Station, East exit. Right, got it. What time?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Give me an hour or so." She said before disconnecting the call.

Sakura hopped out of bed, feeling a lot more cheerful now that she had plans... and perhaps also because of Sasuke too. She opened her curtains and peered outside. The sky was a bright blue and there didn't seem to be a breeze to stir the trees. Opening the window she stuck her head out and felt the gentle warmth of the early morning sun on her face. It seemed like it was going to be a beautiful day.

Opting in that case for a dress, Sakura got ready as quietly as she could, knowing her Aunt would still be in bed – she had worked the late shift the night before. Sakura headed down in to the kitchen and had a glass water and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, writing a message to Tsunade on the dry wipe board next to the fridge.

'Gone out to meet a friend. Will be back later xx'

Satisfied that she was good to go, she threw her apple core away and grabbed her bag from where it was slung across one of the kitchen chairs. Making sure she had her phone and purse, she sat on the inside step to put her trusty white converse on and headed out of the house.

She walked to the local train station, taking a train to Shinjuku Station. She hadn't gone to Shinjuku Station before and it was quite overwhelming. Back in England you used the trains on a Sunday at your own risk – it was never any fun when you found out your train was cancelled because of repair works – but there seemed to be no such issue here. If this was a Sunday morning, Sakura would hate to be here during the week in rush hours.

Busiest station in the world, she mused to herself, I can believe that.

It was also confusing trying to the right exit she needed but was buoyed when she left the station and saw a nearby sign pointing towards Golden Gai. She walked for a few minutes, eventually coming to narrower alleyways and ramshackle buildings unlike the skyscrapers she had left behind.

"I'm impressed," a voice called out and she looked to see Sasuke leaning against a nearby building. "You actually made it here."

Sticking her tongue out, Sakura approached him and smiled. "Never underestimate me. It's good to see you, good trip?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Can't complain."

Sakura looked at the street ahead of them. "Cool place."

Sasuke nodded. "It is. Come on." He took her hand and led her down the road.

Sakura trying not to blush as his strong hand enclosed her smaller one. She looked at the buildings as they walked and noticed a lot of them appeared to be bars. "You're not trying to get me drunk are you?" She joked.

He glanced back at her. "Wasn't planning on it. You're not old enough anyway right?"

"I am in England." She sniffed.

"Well it's twenty years old here so no beer for you."

"Or you," she sniped. "From what I recall you're still a few months short."

"Why are we talking about this? I didn't bring you out on a Sunday morning to go to a bar." He came to a stop at the corner of a road where there stood a building, a bit run down like the others, but the door was thrown open and music was drifting out.

She cocked an eyebrow in question.

"This neighbourhood is where the musicians and artists hang out. It's a good place to hear real music."

"This early on a Sunday?"

He nodded. "The weekends are busy the whole day through. People like sharing when they can."

They walked inside and Sasuke pulled off his hat. The man behind the bar nearby gave Sasuke a nod and Sasuke led Sakura to a table in a dimly lit corner.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Sakura noted.

He nodded, sliding off his glasses too "I used to sing here a few years back."

"You sing?" Sasuke nodded and Sakura smiled. "You don't come here to sing anymore though?"

He shook his head. "I don't get the chance to anymore."

Sakura glanced around the club. There were quite a few people around considering how early it was but no one paid them any mind.

The man from behind the bar came over to them, his grey hair flopping over in to one eye and a surgical mask over his face. Sakura had seen this enough to know that it wasn't unusual for people to cover their faces if they were feeling unwell - it was consideration and prevention all in one.

"Sasuke," the man greeted and began to talk quite rapidly in Japanese. Sakura picked up on a few of the platitudes – the man was asking Sasuke how he had been but she had obviously missed something because the man was soon looking at her expectantly.

"This is Sakura," Sasuke said in English, drawing the man's attention back to him. "She recently moved here from England. Sakura, this is Kakashi. He owns this dive."

The man chuckled and stuffed his hands deep in his pocket. "Watch it kid, you're not too much of a hot shot to get a smack."

Sakura was relieved that Kakashi had also now switched to English.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura. So are you a big Shinobi fan?"

Sakura found the question abrupt and odd. "Shinobi? That's a band right? I think I've heard a few of their songs on the radio recently."

Kakashi's visible eye appeared to widen in surprise and when Sakura glanced at Sasuke she saw him giving the older man a glare.

"Ah," Kakashi laughed nervously. "I'll go grab you two something to drink." He retreated back to the bar quickly and Sakura watched him go.

"That was odd." Sakura mused, turning to Sasuke. "Why did he ask me about Shinobi?"

Sasuke shrugged, eyes darting over her shoulder and back again. "They were discovered in this bar. I guess Kakashi just likes to brag."

"No shame in being proud of something." Kakashi had returned, two glassed of cola on a tray. "Right, Sasuke?"

The teen grunted and reached for his drink.

"Well it should get busier pretty soon. I hope you enjoy yourself, Sakura."

Sakura thanked him and complimented him on his bar in Japanese. Kakashi's eye crinkled up in to a smile and he ruffled her hair before he left.

"Your Japanese is improving." Sasuke observed.

"I've been practicing. I had to do something with my time."

"You missed me that much?" Sasuke smirked."

"My heart was broken. I could not go on." She said in a deadpan voice.

Sakura enjoyed her day immensely, sat watching people drift in and out of the bar, sharing songs or just listening. It did get busy just as Kakashi had promised and eventually it was standing room only. Sakura applauded and laughed along with the other patrons, and even Sasuke seemed a little more animated than usual.

It was late afternoon before they left the club, waving goodbye to Kakashi on their way out. Sakura saw that the roads outside had also gotten busier as people were filtering into the other bars on the street.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke and smiled. "I think you forgot something."

"Hm?"

She tapped her head and he froze. He looked back at the bar they had left before shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter." He grumbled.

"Why do you wear it all the time?" Sakura asked. "Is it lucky or something?"

"Something like that." He agreed.

Sakura noticed a few people giving them second glances as they walked back to the train station and she began to feel self-conscious. Maybe that was why Sasuke liked to wear his hat and sunglasses, to divert the appreciative looks from strangers?

They paused outside Shinjuku Station and Sasuke sighed. "Want me to walk you back again?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's fine, the train will get me there in no time. Plus you look exhausted. Did you even sleep after getting back to Tokyo?"

Sasuke made a noncommittal noise in his throat and Sakura shook her head in exasperation.

"Well I'd best go. Thanks for today, Sasuke. I had a lot of fun."

"I did too" He seemed to hesitate for a moment before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "See you soon."

Sakura watched him saunter away and brought a hand up to her cheek. What in the world? She smiled at his retreating back and headed in to the station.

In her happy mood she didn't notice the man stood close by, looking like his Christmases had all come at once.

* * *

><p>"Sakura? Wake up Sweetie."<p>

"Hmm, mom?" Sakura grumbled rolling over in bed.

It wasn't her mother's blue eyes staring down at her however, but her Aunt's tawny ones.

"Tsunade-obasan?"

Tsunade's face was concerned and a little haggard.

"Shouldn't you be in work?" Sakura asked sitting up in bed.

"I was going but then I saw the paper and well..."

She passed a folded newspaper to Sakura who, confused and still half-asleep, opened the sheets flat. It took her a while to see what was laid out in front of her but when her brain clicked she gasped.

"What!?"

There on the front page of a national newspaper was a picture of Sasuke kissing her outside of Shinjuku Station.

Bewildered, she scanned through the article, picking out most of the key points.

'_Sasuke Uchiha... lead singer of Shinobi... kissing mystery girl... seen together in Golden Gai... confirmed as British girl, Sakura Haruno.' _

She looked up at her Aunt in shock. "He's famous!?"

Tsunade frowned. "You didn't know?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. I got lost one day and he walked me home. We've kept in touch ever since but he didn't say anything."

It all seemed to make sense in her mind now – the hat and glasses, not wanting to get on public transport, the love of Kakashi's bar. Thinking back he had seemed surprised when she had first met him – he was obviously hot property and yet she had no clue who he was.

'I wonder if that's why he kept me around.' She thought glumly.

"It's not just that..." Sakura eyed Tsunade warily and waited for her to finish. "There are a couple of people outside who apparently know you live here."

Sakura groaned and threw herself back on to the bed, burying her face in the pillow. "Kill me now. Only I would be able to walk around with a superstar and not know. His fan girls are going to gut me."

Tsunade rubbed her back comfortingly. "It will all blow over soon. They'll get bored, it's just that this boy is usually impossible to track down and now he's popped up with a girlfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Sakura protested. "He's just a friend."

Tsunade smiled and tapped the photo on the front page of the paper. "Does he know that?" She glanced at her watch. "Sorry Sakura but I really do have to get to work. Just please don't attempt to go outside and don't let any of those lowlifes outside in the house."

Sakura nodded and curled back up on her bed. She fished her phone from under her pillow and hesitated for a moment before writing a text.

'_You have some serious explaining to do.'_

* * *

><p>Sakura sat at her window, pillow hugged tightly to her chest as she peered down at the pavement below. The steady <em>tap tap<em> of rain hitting the glass was the only sound in the room. It seemed that even the dismal weather couldn't deter the mass of reporters milling about below.

She hadn't been out of the house since the newspaper report came out days before.

Someone out there was apparently very good at digging up private information on people and within no time her address was common knowledge, and the caravan of paparazzi and tabloid reporters had made their home on her Aunt's doorstep.

Her Aunt had been furious. But even all her yelling and threatening fist waving had not been enough to get the vultures to fly away.

Sakura sighed and pressed her cheek against the window. She was bored... and annoyed. While she could have happily lived in her room for a long time, it was getting old not being able to go for a walk or to explore the city she now had to call home.

She was even too scared to use her computer. She had logged on to it the afternoon of the newspaper-debacle, and had been struck dumb by the amount of messages and friend requests she had gotten on all her social media sites. It wasn't just nice messages though, some were downright terrifying. Crazed fan girls (and guys) threatening to rip her face off if she was seen with Sasuke again.

Sakura had suspended her accounts, making herself as invisible as possible until things cooled down – at least she hoped they would cool down.

She had curiously entered her name in a search engine and instantly received thousands of results discussing her relationship with Sasuke. The photos from the image search were those that had been in the newspaper. It had been the last straw for her and she had refused to open the internet browser since.

As it was her laptop was currently sat on the bed, screen brightening the otherwise gloomy room.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. "Sakura?" her Aunt called. "I have to go in to the hospital. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Aunt Tsunade." She called back, closing her eyes against the cool glass. She did not hear her Aunt's footsteps retreat so she waited with open ears.

"Sakura, I know you haven't wanted to read the newspaper since... well since all this." She heaved a great sigh. "But I think you should look at today's. I'll leave it just here by your door."

Sakura was silent and Tsunade left without further hesitation. Sakura kept her position at the window until she saw Tsunade battle her way through the reporters outside. Her lip twitched in to a smile when she saw her Aunt 'accidentally' elbow a particularly eager photographer in the ribs.

Sakura glared down at the reporters once more before standing up. She really couldn't see what the big deal was. Was Sasuke Uchiha that famous that anyone he interacted with instantly became the most interesting person in the world? She shook her head and padded over to the door, her socked feet sliding unwillingly across the wooden floor.

She opened her door and found that morning's newspaper waiting for her, the top half of the front page facing up to meet her. A quick glance told her that the top story wasn't about her and she was grateful. Sakura sat on her bed and unfolded the paper, a small article at the bottom of the front page immediately drawing her attention.

"Sasuke Uchiha's Secret Lover's Secret Heartache". She read aloud.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she skimmed through the short bit of writing, finding it was just recapping the events of two days previous. A footnote promised the full story further in the paper however, and Sakura immediately skipped ahead to the pages mentioned. Her breath left her in a gasp.

Her own face smiled up from her and while she had become disturbingly used to seeing her own photo in the news, the other two people pictured either side of her were faces she was not prepared to see. Her parents faces stared out from the middle of a sea of black and white print, smiling and eyes sparkling with life.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she began to read, still not the quickest at reading in Japanese at the best of times. It was slow-going, but she gathered enough to learn that once the press had found out she was originally from England, they had traced her old address and in turn they had found out about the accident that had killed her parents. There were even interviews with people that she had considered her friends.

'Well,' she thought viciously, flinging the paper across the room and out of her sight. 'They aren't friends anymore!'

They had spilled her secrets and opened her private life for the world to see . She felt so betrayed, and the more she thought on it, she realised she felt betrayed by Sasuke too. He had not replied to her text from two days earlier and she was beginning to think that he had only wanted the anonymity that she provided him. And now he had left her to face the fallout on her own.

She sat on her bed for a long while. The storm outside getting worse and the room growing darker. Her tears dripped from her lashes and landed on her legs as she stroked the two wedding rings strung around her neck with reverence. Her silent contemplation was cut short by a cheerful ringing tune coming from her laptop.

A screen had popped up – someone wanted to web chat. Sakura frowned; she rarely chatted over the computer... and honestly there wasn't anyone she really wanted to speak to at the moment. The ringing kept up and she grit her teeth.

She looked at the user name – CrimsonAvenger and shook her head. She hadn't a clue who that was. Had someone leaked all her contact details already? Sakura rubbed at her eyes furiously, angry at herself finding that they were filling with tears again at the sheer injustice of things.

The cheerful tone had become obnoxious and Sakura hit cancel. There was blessed relief for a moment before the screen popped up again, with the same person trying to contact her. Sakura grit her teeth. Her finger hovered over the 'block' button before she changed her mind and hit accept – may as well shout at someone who deserved it. Her mouth opened promptly dropped as she saw the face staring back at her.

"Sasuke?"

He nodded, a smirk on his face for a moment before it morphed in to a frown. "You've been crying."

She looked down in embarrassment. "Well it's not been an easy couple of days." She glanced up. "How did you get my Skype name?"

He lifted an eyebrow teasingly. "I have my ways. I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you since... things happened. I've been barricaded in my house and I wasn't sure how to handle things."

"I know the feeling." Sakura muttered. She glanced at Sasuke shyly. "I'm glad you called. I missed talking to you."

Sasuke's smirk was undeniable now. "Good. Now let me in."

"What!?"

Sasuke turned the phone he was calling from in his hand and pointed it to the side of him. Sakura could see a swarm of excited reporters through the tinted glass and, beyond them, the familiar sight of her Aunt's house.

"What are you doing here? They'll pounce on you."

"You had best come open the door quickly then."

With that Sasuke disconnected the call and Sakura cursed, jumping off the bed and dashing over to her window. She saw the black car parked along the curb and watched as the door opened. A familiar head of black spikes stepped out on to the pavement and there were blinding bursts of camera flashes and a cacophony of shouted questions. Sasuke ignored them and pushed his way through the crowd and up the path towards the door.

Sakura was struck senseless for a moment until the doorbell snapped her out of her stupor. She skidded out of her room and down the stairs, her feet slipping as she reached the front door. She was suddenly aware that she wore only a pair of pyjama shorts and an oversized hoodie. She clenched the sleeves that fell beyond her fingers for comfort and took a deep breath.

She opened the door a little, keeping herself as hidden as possible and peered around the gap. She flinched as the cameras started flashing again and Sasuke smiled sadly at her. He slipped through the gap as best he could and then shut the door with finality.

Sakura could still hear the reporters calling their questions outside and groaned. Sakura found it suddenly very difficult to look at him and instead focused on his feet. She saw the droplets of rain that clung to him fall off and hit the floor steadily and she nodded to herself.

"I should get you a towel."

She retreated upstairs and to the airing cupboard, pulling out a warm, fluffy towel. She turned and saw that Sasuke had followed her up the stairs, his eyes observing he intensely. Sakura passed him the towel and entered her room, the man following her like a lost puppy.

Sakura sat on her bed and fiddled with the hem of her hoodie while Sasuke rubbed the excess water from his head. When he was done he knelt on the floor in front of Sakura and caught her eyes.

"You are angry with me." It wasn't a question.

Sakura's lips curled minutely and she shook her head. "Not really. I'm annoyed you didn't tell me but I understand why." She gestured at the window in explanation. "And honestly, I felt hurt that you seemed to abandon me these past two days."

"I'm angry with myself."

Sakura raised her eyebrows at that. "Why?"

"I should have known that this would happen. I did know that if someone spotted me with you they would hound you over this. But I was selfish. I enjoyed speaking to you."

"I enjoyed it too." Sakura whispered. "It's the happiest I've been since..." She trailed off and Sasuke picked up the newspaper from where it lay on the floor.

He looked down at the picture spread out for the world to see and shook his head. "I would never have put you through this willingly. If I could change things then I-"

"I wouldn't change it." Sasuke stared at her and she offered him a weak smile. "Like I said, I don't regret things. I enjoyed getting to know you. I could do without the mob outside but hey ho."

"It doesn't bother you that I'm famous?"

She shrugged. "Why should it? I liked you before I knew about that. It didn't bother me then that you weren't famous...well at least as far as I knew. It doesn't bother me now that I know you are."

Sasuke snorted at her logic but shuffled closer to her on his knees. Grasping her hands he looked up at her blushing face. "Then say you want to get to know me better still." He glanced towards the window and pulled a face. "If they want a story I'll gladly give it to them. I'm used to dealing with those leeches. Let me protect you from them too."

Sakura's eyes were stunned. "You... are asking me to date you?"

"So much more than that." Sasuke said, shifting further up on to his knees and bringing his face level with hers. "You are the most genuine person I have ever met. Getting to just be me and not _The_ Sasuke Uchiha was amazing... you are amazing. I have had to give up a lot of things because of the constant press intrusion in to my life. I refuse to give up you."

"This is crazy." Sakura whispered. "You barely know me."

"Honestly," Sasuke said, leaning in a little closer. "You know me better than anyone has in years."

Sakura's eyes grew misty yet again and she shook her head. "You don't mean that."

"Why don't I?"

"Rich, famous heart-throbs don't mix with ordinary girls like me."

"Says who?"

"Says life." Sakura jutted her chin out stubbornly and Sasuke laughed. It had been so few times that she had seen him so carefree that Sakura was speechless, committing the mirth on his face to memory.

"You," Sasuke said, face straightening out once more. "Are emotional and impulsive. You can be short-tempered and you are extremely annoying at times."

Sakura frowned at him as he rattled off her apparent faults and she opened her mouth. Sasuke placed a long finger on her lips and shushed her.

"Plus you always have something to say." He removed his finger, letting the tip trail over her jaw. "But you are beautiful, inside and out. You are an amazing listener and you always know _what_ to say. You are kind and you exude a comforting aura. I've never seen someone draw people to them like I have you.

"You are smart and I could talk to you forever and you would still surprise me."

Sakura wiped at the tears that escaped her eyes and sniffed. "What script did you steal that line from?"

Sasuke barked out a laugh. "Haven't you heard, I'm a singer, not an actor." He trailed his hands over her shoulders and leaned towards her. "So? What do you say?"

Sakura realised that as scary as what faced her was, it seemed infinitely worse to lose Sasuke. She threw caution to the wind and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his.

"I say , call me annoying again and you'll be untangling your toes from your tonsils."

Sasuke smirked and captured her lips again. "Deal." He mumbled.

The room had well and truly grown dark. The reporters outside must have been have been torn between disappointment they didn't get another glimpse of Sasuke, and also glee that Sasuke had been inside the house for hours. Sakura could just imagine the headline tomorrow. In a stark change from that morning however, she couldn't bring herself to care.

She found herself reclined on her bed, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She played with Sasuke's hand, tracing the lines on his palm as the room grew dark and silent around them. They had talked for hours, everything in the open now, about their lives before they had met, what they wanted from the future... with each other.

"I guess I should take you on a date huh?"

Sakura smiled at his words. "What about the trip to the Golden Gai?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Please, I can do better than that."

"Okay," Sakura agreed. "Know any deserted islands?"

"Hm." Sasuke pondered, tapping his free hand on his chin exaggeratedly. "I think all the ones I know of are in use. How about a very private house – I make a good katsu curry?"

Dinner at Sasuke's sounded heavenly and Sakura snuggled closer to him, murmuring her agreement. The quiet was interrupted by the suddenly renewed frenzy of shouting from outside.

Sakura glanced at the clock on her bedside and sighed. "My Aunt is home."

She made to get up but Sasuke held her held her tight. "Not yet."

"Sasuke..."

Before Sakura could protest further, a short knock came from her bedroom door before Tsunade poked her head inside. She eyed the two teenagers , taking in their clothed position above the sheets before her face relaxed.

"I brought dinner back with me." She looked at Sasuke. "There's plenty."

With that she left the room and Sakura rolled on to her stomach, peering up at Sasuke. "How about moving that dinner date forward? We order a mean takeaway in this house."

Sasuke smirked as she turned his earlier words around on him and allowed her to get up. Sakura felt his hand slip in to hers and smiled to herself.

She wished her parents were still with her and would always miss them... but the man next to her may have made life in Japan seem a lot brighter.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah pure soul-enriching fluff. All wrapped up in a damn long chapter.<strong>

**Forgive me for the Japanese translations and blame Google if they are wrong. I tried to make it clear what was actually being said without putting the English in brackets next to it etc. so I hope it was clear enough to follow.**

**Also, I have not been to Japan so if the descriptions etc. in the chapter are off the mark then I apologise.**

**Hope you enjoyed this one. It gave me a good opportunity to listen to copious amounts of J and K-Pop.**

**Until next time when there will be another instalment for Arabia me thinks…**


	5. Market Place

**Part 3 of Arabia. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Prompt # 27<p>

Market Place

* * *

><p>Their next destination was home.<p>

Sakura once more watched the land draw closer to the ship as she stood at the prow. This time she could see that that it was a prospering town, built on a lush oasis resting on the coast of the gulf. She could see the fishing boats out in the waters, casting their nets and pulling in a good catch. The coast was lined with greenery, palm trees and tall grasses and beyond that, Sakura could see actual fields of crops – something she rarely witness growing with a desert tribe. Further out still the land became sand dunes once more.

"We're further south now. We travelled quite a distance from Gaara's domain."

"Yep," Naruto added to Sasuke's words. "Straight across the gulf and far, far away from that son of a –."

"Naruto." Kakashi warned as he walked past. "Mind the lady."

Naruto snorted. "Are you kidding, Sakura's taught me some words I didn't even know."

"This is where you live?" Sakura asked, looking at the beautiful town in wonder.

"Well we don't actually live anywhere, but this is where we return to rest."

"They don't seem like the type to harbour pirates." She noted wryly.

Sasuke snorted. "Traders, please. And they have their reasons."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that but let it slide as the ship was brought in to dock. Sakura was the first down the gangplank, standing on the dock and just staring around her.

The city was sprawling and noisy – it was alive. Sakura marvelled at the sights and sounds, never having seen anything larger than a town in her life. Just the dock was a mass of merchants and people trying to get their wares unloaded first. People offering their help to carry luggage, for a small fee of course, were mingled here and there with hopeful looks on their faces.

Sasuke touched Sakura's arm and she turned her wide-eyed gaze on him. He looked amused as he took in her expression.

"Come on. This is us." He gestured to a small entourage waiting at the edge of the docks.

Sakura observed them as they approached and as she looked closer she could see that the group were gravitating around one of the men – silk parasols blocking the harsh heat from him. Sakura found it hard to stare the man straight in the eyes – he had the most peculiar opalescent irises she had seen and an imperious look on his face. His hands were folded in the sleeves of his fine ivory tunic and his long, coffee-coloured hair was tied back.

Sasuke stopped just short of the shade of the parasol and stared the man directly in the eyes.

"Hyuuga."

"Uchiha." The man returned before a smirk twisted his lips. "Right on time as usual. Come, my uncle is eager to speak with you."

They made their way through the bustling streets and Sakura noticed that the path cleared up before the finely dressed man. Sakura looked at Sasuke, questions clear in her eyes and he lowered his head towards her ear.

"Neji Hyuuga." He gestured to the man walking ahead of them. "His family are very influential around here. I'll explain more later."

Sakura was less than satisfied but didn't push the matter, instead letting her eyes take in the vast city. The air was very warm, but much more bearable than the heat of the desert. The water in the bay carried moisture in the air and a certain freshness with it.

They walked a considerable distance, and Sakura wondered why such a wealthy man had not taken a carriage of some sort. She received her answer however, when she saw how busy some of the streets were – it was infinitely more speedy to make their way on foot.

The city began to thin ever so slightly and they eventually came upon an impressive estate. The street led off in to the gardens, lush and green, bursting with colourful flowers and fed by many fountains. Here and there, on benches around the space, Sakura could see people with the pearly eyes of the Hyuugas sat around but they paid no mind to the sudden influx of people trekking across the estate.

A short flight of steps led the group in to the large building that stood in the middle of the gardens. The coolness washed over Sakura like a gentle caress and she had to fight a sigh of pleasure. The white marble keeping out the harsh heat of the day was shot with veins of gold – the wealth of these people was apparent. Sakura was sure she could take an urn from one of the many pedestals and eat for a year with the price it would bring.

The servants that had been around Neji dispersed and the pearl-eyed man regarded the newcomers.

"Well you know the drill. Your usual rooms are ready for you and the kitchen has been forewarned."

Sakura noticed his gaze was fixed on Naruto as he said this and she smiled.

"Sasuke," Neji addressed him. "My uncle will want to speak to you but said it can wait until dinner." His eyes flicked over to Sakura. "I wasn't aware you had an extra person with you. Is she staying with you?"

Sakura flushed, realising what the man was insinuating. Sasuke placed a calming hand on her shoulder before she could erupt. "I think Sakura would prefer a room of her own."

Neji nodded. "I'll see to it."

Truthfully, it would not have bothered Sakura to share a room with Sasuke – it is where she had been staying while on the ship (the captain had graciously taken a spare bunk instead of the more comfortable bed), but what she didn't like was the assumption she was Sasuke's _entertainment_.

Neji stood off to the side, talking to one of the servants. The man nodded and hurried off down the corridor. Neji returned to where Sasuke and Sakura stood alone, the other crew having already scattered to their respective rooms.

"There is a spare room next to your room, Sasuke. I have sent a servant to fetch some clean clothing for..." His gaze drifted to the girl.

"Sakura." Sasuke supplied and Neji nodded, clearly disinterested.

Sasuke grasped Sakura's wrist and led her down a wide and airy corridor, away from their _oh so hospitable_ host.

"So…" She said, an expectant tone to her voice.

"So what?" Sasuke replied and Sakura frowned at his back.

"There's history in here somewhere right? I mean why would such an obviously wealthy family harbour pirates – sorry, _traders_ – such as yourself?"

"I told you, they have their reasons."

They had reached their destination now – a hallway with two large wooden doors placed opposite one another.

"Yes." Sakura conceded, allowing Sasuke to lead her to one of the doors. "But I think the reason why you don't want to tell me is because you will have to talk about _your_ reasons."

Sasuke's brow furrowed and Sakura shook her head. "It's okay not to want to talk about your past, and you don't owe me anything I just..." She sighed. "I just want you to know that you can talk to me. I won't change any opinion I have because of anything you say. I already told you, I make my decisions based on actions."

With that Sakura opened the door to her room and left a very confused Uchiha stood outside.

* * *

><p>Sakura surveyed the room and let out a dreamy sigh. She had never seen such a room in her life. Having spent most of her life wandering from town to town, sleeping under the stars and occasionally in inns in far-off villages, even Sasuke's cabin on the ship had felt luxurious.<p>

This however, was astounding.

The walls and floor were marble like the rest of the compound, shot here and there with brightly coloured stone and inlaid with gold. There was a large bed in the very centre of the room, raised from the floor on steps and covered in pillows and silks. Thin, gauzy fabric hung down from a ring on the ceiling, surrounding the bed.

Sakura spotted some brightly-coloured fabric laid out neatly on a bench near the window and trotted over happily. Her fingers touched the soft fabric and she smiled. How nice it would be to feel feminine again after travelling with the men.

Leaving the clothes where they were, Sakura went through an archway and found herself in a bathroom. The floor was sunken in the middle of the room, steps leading straight down in to water that was littered with petals and smelled absolutely divine.

She wasted no time in tugging the shirt over her head and letting the oversized trousers slip down to her ankles. The water was tepid, only heated by the warmth of the day, and Sakura thought it was perfect. She lounged in the bath for a long while, sitting on the steps so that the water came up to her shoulders, and then set about rinsing her hair.

She had not realised how grubby travelling through the desert could make you – it was how she spent most of her life after all. But as she felt the grains of sand come loose from her hair, she had to admit it was nice to be spotlessly clean. She stepped from the water, leaving behind a fair amount of sand on the bottom of the tub and walked across the room, letting the sun streaming through the windows to dry her skin off. She stood at the window, staring out over the gardens and wondered if the sheer, white drapes were enough to preserve her modesty. It worried her little however as she could see this side of the gardens was empty.

She glanced at the door that would lead her to Sasuke's room and a wicked thought crossed her mind. She shook her head before it could even take purchase – besides she doubted Sasuke would be as bold as she was being now, standing the windows without a stich of clothing on him. Sakura laughed to herself – even she wasn't _that_ bold. Honestly, had there been something to wrap herself in next to the bath she would have used it. She returned to the clothes laid out on the bench and rubbed the fabric against her cheek once more. She slipped on the bright azure silk, letting the fabric form to her curves. It was much like the dresses she had seen the other women in the city wear, although the quality was amazing.

The dress fell to her knees, the sleeves were long and wide and the outfit as a whole was very comfortable and well suited to the humid weather. There was a second piece of fabric that had been underneath the dress – a long piece of white silk. Sakura studied it for a moment before realising it was a belt. She wrapped it around her waist, tying it off neatly so the ends hung down the front of the dress. She admired how it pulled in the waist of the dress for a moment before a pair of jewel-bright shoes beneath the bench caught her attention. Sakura frowned at them and nudged them away with her bare foot and out of sight.

Sakura glanced at the door to the hallway again and contemplated seeing if Sasuke would want to give her a tour before shaking her head. Maybe it would be nice to have some time alone? It sounded like a plan to Sakura and so she opened one of the ridiculously large windows wide and hoped out in to the gardens – there were obvious benefits to being on the ground floor it seemed.

The feeling of grass beneath her feet instead of sand was almost novel and Sakura had a large smile on her face as she took off deeper in to the gardens. They were astoundingly large and she walked for a long time without seeing another person. She had just rounded a large fountain spraying water in to the air when she heard a voice call out to her.

"Sakura!" She turned her head at the noise, spotting Naruto bouncing up and down in excitement. She made her way across the lush garden to where he stood and, as she drew closer, she noticed a woman standing a little behind him. The lady had long, dark hair and the same eyes as Neji. She was also a worrying shade of red.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked kindly.

Naruto grinned. "This is Hinata. She's Neji's cousin."

Sakura looked at the girl again as Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The girl squeaked and her knees buckled. Naruto was quick to catch her and moved over to a nearby bench, Sakura following close behind.

"Don't worry." Naruto said cheerfully. "This happens a lot."

Sakura noticed how Hinata's eyes kept glancing to where Naruto still had his hand on her arm and she smiled, realising what the problem was. "Naruto, why don't you go get some water for Hinata?"

Naruto nodded and finally let go of the girl before bounding back towards the house.

Sakura took a seat next to Hinata and smiled. "That happens a lot huh?" Hinata nodded. "And I bet it only happens around Naruto?" Sakura laughed kindly as the girl flushed again. "It's okay. Women have been left confused and helpless by men since the dawn of time."

Hinata smiled tentatively back. "I-I'm sorry."

"What for?" Sakura said. "It's just who you are and I'm sure it will pass in time."

Hinata straightened a little, apparently feeling more at ease. "You-your accent. I-I've never heard it before."

Sakura nodded. I'm from a long way from here. I grew up in the desert."

Hinata's eyebrows rose. "Really? H-how did you come to b-be here then?"

"I'm part of Sasuke's crew." She said simply before winking at Hinata. "And don't believe him if he tells you I am a bad swordfighter."

Hinata giggled and Sakura joined in, glad the girl was loosening up. Naruto chose that moment to return, and Neji was next to him. Hinata sighed.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Neji. He's v-very over p-protective of me." She looked at Sakura with shyness still clear in her eyes. "You are lucky, I think, to get to t-travel even though you are a w-woman."

Sakura sighed, understanding Hinata's view but disagreeing in some ways. "It is wonderful to have freedom but don't discount the importance of your family. It's nice to have people always fighting your corner."

The men reached them and Naruto passed a cup of water held to Hinata. She took it with shaking hands and Neji frowned.

"Are you feeling ill?" Hinata shook her head quickly. "Still, I think I would feel better if you went a rested inside."

Hinata stood up and nodded, offering Sakura a weak smile. Sakura gave her a sad smile back, the annoyance she felt at Neji's orders fighting to turn her lips down.

"I'll escort you!" Naruto said cheerfully, grasping Hinata by the elbow. The girl sent Sakura a panicked look. The pinkette wiggled her eyebrows theatrically and Hinata's face became a picture of despair. Once the hopeless couple had disappeared from sight, Sakura let the smile drop from her mouth completely and she stared at Neji.

The coffee-haired man met her gaze unflinchingly. "You have something to say."

It was not a question. "Yes." Sakura stood, still only coming to the man's shoulder. "Hinata doesn't need to be babied like that. She feels smothered. Don't you think she deserves a little fun in her life?"

Neji's pale eyes narrowed. "I think she deserves to be kept safe."

"You think that a bird that is kept in cage is 'safe'? Or does it just die sooner?"

The man glared fiercely at her now. "I have never had the misfortune to meet such a rebellious woman. We teach our ladies how to listen and be refined here."

"Well then I'm glad I'm not from here!"

"And where are you from?" Neji asked, his voice level. "To have such high opinions when it comes to passing judgement on others. Somewhere where women took the lead over men was it? Some godforsaken corner of the wilderness?"

"I don't know okay!" Sakura's voice raised dramatically. "I don't know where I was _born_ but I grew up with a tribe where women danced and sang to provide money for the tribe. We had no say, we were just like animals to a farmer – a means of survival. In the end my 'opinions' wouldn't have saved myself from being sold off to the highest bidder. I've already told Hinata she should be grateful to have such caring family members, but you should appreciate that she will have her own opinions too. Would you want her to keep quiet if she was being sold off to a man she hated?"

Neji remained quiet and Sakura glared at him. "You have outdated ideas about women. But before you pass your judgement on me and how you think I should live, you should ask yourself how you would want your cousin to be treated."

With that Sakura turned from the man, striding away across the gardens, her dress sweeping out behind her. Neji watched the infuriating woman storm off and shook his head. He turned to head back to the house and spotted a shadowed figure leaning against a nearby tree.

"Uchiha." He said levelly as he passed.

"Hn. She spoke a lot of sense you know. You are so focused on protecting your cousin you don't realise how close you are to smothering her."

"And this from a man who has let a woman join his crew."

Sasuke shrugged, stepping in to the sunshine. "She has the potential to be a great asset to my crew, and had more guts than most of the men I know."

Neji snorted and shook his head, moving past Sasuke with no desire to talk to him further.

"Oh, Hyuuga?" Neji paused but did not turn as Sasuke continued to speak. "Speak to her like that again and you will find that pretty hair of yours missing from your head."

* * *

><p>Sakura was still grumbling when Sasuke finally caught up with her. He jogged to her side and slowed to match her pace. She didn't notice him, muttering furious words in that obscure language of hers until Sasuke placed his hand on her arm. She whirled around with a fierce glare before relaxing when she saw who it was.<p>

"This is why I had you join my crew." Sasuke smirked. "You look like you could split the ground a part with a single punch at the moment."

Sakura rolled her eyes and whispered something to herself, still in her native tongue.

"What was that?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"Nothing." She sighed. ""I suppose we have to go to that dinner now?"

"No. We have a few hours still. I thought you would want to head in to the city and browse the market."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I suppose I will need more dresses so I do not look like a complete barbarian." She plucked at the silk shirt of her gown and Sasuke fought not to smirk.

"Dresses would be prudent. I also thought you might want some better fitting clothes for the ship too... and a sword."

Sakura perked up at that. "Sword?" "Well I'm not letting you use mine all the time. We can get a lot of training done here, much more than on the ship."

Sakura grasped his arm and tugged at it insistently. "Well come on then! What are we waiting for?"

* * *

><p>The bazaar was a bustling place, rammed with shoppers and merchants alike. The noise was almost unbearable but Sakura was in her element. Places like this, so bright a vibrant appealed to her no end. It was what she loved about dancing – the music, the noise, the colours whipping around as she danced. Sakura supposed the only bad point about the market was the smell: some of the merchants looked as though they had not bathed in weeks.<p>

"How about a bracelet for the pretty lady?" Sakura cringed away from the putrid breath escaping the seller's rotten teeth.

"No thank you." She and Sasuke bypassed the ramshackle stalls selling various trinkets and ended up deep in the bazaar where the more permanent shops were located. Sakura grudgingly let Sasuke drag her in to a shop where jewel bright dresses and reams of shining fabrics were on display.

"I would have thought you liked nice clothes." Sasuke muttered, watching as the seamstress measured the girl.

Sakura shrugged. "I do, but not when I'm on a ship surrounded by men. I love feeling a woman but I don't think dresses and skirts are practical for travelling." She looked at the woman now measuring her hips. "Would you be able to make me some trousers and shirts too? Nothing fancy, but good material for travelling?"

The woman smiled and began measuring Sakura's leg lengths. Sasuke watched as the girl turned her jade eyes to the fine dresses on display and how her bottom lip jutted out in a unconscious pout. He smirked –she was so easy to read. When the seamstress had finished measuring Sakura, Sasuke paid her and asked her to have the clothes delivered to the Hyuuga estate when they were ready.

Sakura left the shop and then realised that Sasuke was no longer behind her. She glanced back and saw him speaking lowly to the woman, who nodded as he pressed some more money in to her hands.

"What was that about?" Sakura questioned as he joined her outside.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just asked her to make a quick job of it."

Sakura hummed, not believing him but not concerned enough to push it. "So, sword now?"

"Not quite." Sasuke pointed over Sakura's shoulder and she turned, groaning when she saw the cobbler shop.

"No, Sasuke! I don't like shoes, I told you."

The man shook his head and crossed his arms. "How did you travel across the desert with no shoes?"

"You'd be surprised." Sakura countered. "Sand gets everywhere in your shoes in case you haven't noticed. Besides, I'm much quicker barefoot."

"Well unfortunately you'll get splinters on the ship if you continue to wander around shoeless. And we won't always be somewhere warm – are you going to trek through water and mud and snow with nothing on your feet?"

Sakura pulled a face and mimicked him silently, and Sasuke had to catch himself before he laughed at her childish antics. "Come on." He grasped her wrist and tugged her over to the shop.

The man in there was very helpful when he learned that Sakura needed a whole range of shoes. In a surprisingly short amount of time she had several pairs of fine, silk shoes to wear with her new dresses, sandals with heels and flat sandals more suited for walking. There were boots too, no good for the heat of the peninsula, but Sasuke promised she would thank him eventually. Sakura eyed them, and wondered why anyone would want to cover themselves in leather up to their knees.

Sasuke paid the man to have the packages delivered to the Hyuugas' too and they were out of there, much to Sakura's relief.

"You are cruel, Uchiha."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her dramatic wail. "Come on, let's go get a sword... unless you'd rather go home?"

Sakura paused and looked at him. "Are you teasing me this time?"

Sasuke smirked. "Guess you'll find out." His amusement increased when he heard her hurrying after him. He led her out of the bazaar and in to a small square. Sakura spied a stable to the right and to the left was a blacksmiths, the doors opened wide and black smoke issuing from within at regular intervals. Sasuke led the way over to it, and Sakura could hear the metallic din of metal being hammered. She could see a figure through the haze, toiling away at the anvil.

"Gai?" Sasuke called and the hammering stopped.

"He's not here." The blacksmith moved out from the shop and wiped the sweat from their face. Sakura's eyebrows rose when she saw it was a woman. "He's gone with Lee to purchase better ore. I don't know when he will be back." Her eyes rested on the sword at Sasuke's waist. "That ridiculously long thing again? Let me look if you've even taking care of it. Give it."

She held her hand out and Sasuke snorted. "You never change Tenten."

Tenten grinned at him. "I could say the same for you. So you here for a touch up?" She handed the sword back to him, apparently satisfied that everything was in order.

"No, I need a sword for Sakura."

Tenten's gaze drifted to the girl stood next to Sasuke and she smiled. "I've not seen you around here before."

Sakura returned the grin. "I've recently joined Sasuke's crew."

"I've never heard of a woman joining before."

Sakura shrugged. "Well I've never heard of a female blacksmith so I guess we're even."

Tenten wiggled her eyebrows at Sasuke. "I like her. Make sure you keep her around." She stepped further out of the forge now, allowing the barely-there breeze cool her heated skin. "So what are you looking for?"

Sakura shrugged. "A sword?"

Tenten laughed. "Okay, I see we have a lot of work to do." She gestured to a bench out in the courtyard. "Here. She sat down and Sakura took the seat next to her. "So how much sword training have you had?"

"Er, a couple of hours last night on the ship." Tenten blinked and Sakura blushed.

"She needs a thin blade, like mine but not as long." "Sasuke supplied.

"Well of course not as long." Tenten rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't taken your own head off with that thing yet."

Tenten studied her for a long while, tilting her head this way and that before a smile tugged at her lips. "I think I have it." She looked at Sasuke. "How long are you stopping in the city?"

"How long will it take?"

Tenten hummed thoughtfully. "We are busy but a girl's first sword is an important occasion, right?" She winked at Sakura. "Give me a week and I'll have it perfectly made for you."

Sakura thanked her and together she and Sasuke headed away from the bazaar and towards the Hyuuga estate. "A week huh?" Sakura looked at Sasuke. "What will you do for so long a time?"

"Train you." He said simply.

Sakura paused and frowned at his back for a moment before jogging to keep up. "But I don't have a sword."

Sasuke glanced sidelong at her. "It's important to know how to defend yourself without a weapon. We all saw how you punched, Kiba, you could make a decent fighter with your fists."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sakura murmured and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I'm not letting you skip out on this Sakura." Sasuke was somewhat nonplussed when the girl next to him smiled.

"Well alright. If you say so."

* * *

><p>Sakura stood opposite Sasuke in the Hyuuga gardens, a crowd of people once more surrounding them. News of their training had spread amongst Sasuke's crew and almost all of them were there, eager to see if Sakura's punch the day before had been a fluke or not. Some of the Hyuugas were there too; Sakura spotted Neji and Hinata through the crowd and she offered the bashful girl a smile.<p>

Sasuke shrugged off his shirt and Sakura deliberately left her eyes on his face – no reason to blush in front of such a big crowd. She herself had changed in to a pair of trousers, not similar to those she had worn on the ship, although they fit a lot better. They fell just past her knee and were considerably tighter, as was the simple vest she wore on top – it was amazing what a polite request in this estate could get you.

She was aware that Sasuke's gaze kept flicking anywhere but her and she fought the smirk threatening to erupt on her face – turnabout was fair play after all.

"You really don't have to do this." She spoke loudly so the crowd could hear.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I'll take it easy on you." The men watching chuckled as Sasuke teased her abut Sakura just smiled and shrugged.

"If you say so."

Sasuke walked closer to her and dropped in to a fighting stance. He despaired when Sakura made no attempt to do the same and instead stood, winging her arms back and forth distractedly. "You ready?"

Sakura nodded and Sasuke sprung forward. He blinked when she twirled to the side quickly, escaping his blow with ease. Regaining his footing, Sasuke lunged for her again but this time she ducked and rolled away, springing to her feet in one fluid motion.

Sasuke growled as Sakura gave him a bright smile and rushed her again. His hand reached out and just when he was sure he had her, she grasped his wrist, turned and rolled across his back. Naruto was sniggering from his place next to Kakashi, and the older man 's eye was curved up in a smile.

"She's fast." Naruto remarked. He had never seen anyone quicker than Sasuke before.

Kakashi laughed lowly. "She's dancing."

Sasuke straightened up and ran a hand through his hair. "So you can dodge, I'll give you that." He squared his shoulders. "But that will only get you so far." He approached Sakura again, using his own speed to his advantage, and was sure he had her as he invaded her personal bubble.

The crowd groaned in sympathy however, when Sakura's leg flew up, impressively high and her foot caught Sasuke directly under the chin. His head snapped back and he staggered for a moment before catching himself. He rubbed his tender jaw as he stared at the innocently smiling girl before him.

"Bet you're glad I'm not wearing shoes now, huh?"

"What-?" He let the question hang.

Sakura shrugged. "I tried to tell you. I'm not exactly a novice when it comes to fighting. When you grow up moving place to place you are taught to defend yourself from thieves and other people likely to cross your path."

"But Gaara had you by the neck in the palace."

Sakura frowned. "He caught me by surprise. I wasn't feeling myself if you remember. Besides, he was armed and I wasn't."

"Why not train you with weapons too?"

"Some of the men in the tribe had swords and daggers, but they are expensive to buy and cost even more to keep sharp. We didn't have the time or money for such things."

Sasuke nodded and let go of his chin. The girl was fast and lithe, and would be a formidable opponent in a real fight.

"When you're done talking," Naruto called. "We want to see some more fighting!"

The crowd gave a laugh of agreement and Sakura raised an eyebrow at Sasuke. "How about you fight me, Naruto?" I bet you are a formidable opponent."

The blonde man paled at Sakura's words – it was all well and good laughing at the captain but him? No thank you, he got that enough already.

Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "I think it is time for dinner. We should go in and get cleaned up. We can continue with this later."

* * *

><p>And continue they did. Sasuke made sure a good portion of their week was spent sparring in the gardens. He was confident that, as long as she wasn't outnumbered, she would be able to hold her own.<p>

He had however, seen a flaw in her technique.

"You rely on not getting caught and that's well and good," Sasuke said, circling Sakura as they practised one morning. "But what if someone manages to get a hold of you?"

He paused at her back and grasped her wrists, pulling them behind her back.

"What are you doing?" Sakura sighed.

"Humour me. Try and escape."

Sakura rolled her eyes and tried wrenching her arms away. "Ouch!" She almost screeched as her shoulders wrenched painfully.

Sasuke moved closer to her to alleviate the strain on her arms. "You'll dislocate your shoulders before you ever manage to get out of my grip. This is what we need to be working on." He tightened his grip on her wrists. "This is a particularly nasty hold – moving forward will hurt you but I'm far enough back that you can't do any damage with your legs."

Sakura frowned. "Well then what do you suggest?"

"Think about it." Sasuke said. "There's only really one thing you can do." A moment's pause and he sighed. "Close the gap." He moved to hold her wrists in one hand, bringing his newly freed hand around to rest on her stomach. Putting slight pressure on her, Sasuke moved Sakura back to collide with his chest. "Do that with enough force and it should be enough to release the hold."

Sakura glanced up at Sasuke over her shoulder and nodded distractedly. Sasuke realised what a position he had put them in and he swallowed heavily.

"Ready to try?"

Sakura nodded and Sasuke returned her back to their previous position.

"Whenever you're ready." Sasuke said.

Sakura was doubtful this would work… and honestly still quite distracted but gave it a shot anyway. Tensing, she dug her feet in to the grass and propelled herself back in to Sasuke. Though she was much smaller the force of her body hitting him knocked the wind out of him slightly and he staggered backwards, tripping over his foot and to the floor.

His grip did indeed loosen but Sakura wasn't quick enough pull her wrists from his hands and found herself sprawled over Sasuke on the grass. She kept her eyes tightly shut, not wanting to see the expression on Sasuke's face.

There was a heavy silence for a few moments before someone cleared their throat loudly.

Sakura's eyes shot open and she looked up to find Neji stood over them. He observed them coolly and quirked an eyebrow.

"Sorry to interrupt but my uncle would like to speak with you Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and gently moved Sakura from on top of him. He left without a word and Sakura sat on the grass, brushing her hair back and trying to look dignified.

Neji remained where he was stood, an insufferable look on his face and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Can I help you?"

Neji inclined his head. "Several packages have been delivered for you from the tailor and cobbler in the market."

Sakura nodded and Neji turned to leave but she caught the smirk on his face and she couldn't resit calling him back.

"Neji. You wouldn't happen to know a woman named Tenten would you?"

Neji looked mildly confused and shook his head.

Sakura stood gracefully and brushed down her clothes. "You should look her up. She has an anvil with your name on it."

* * *

><p>As promised, Tenten had the sword ready with the week and Sakura was the proud owner of a finely crafted sword, thinner and lighter than Sasuke's and just the right length for her. She had barely had a chance to swing it however before they were shipping back out.<p>

Neji's uncle had tasked Sasuke with a new mission, recovering a very sought after artefact, and they couldn't afford to linger in the city for much longer.

They left in the middle of the night with few people to see them, the crew happy to be back on the ship and Sakura less so. Not that she didn't enjoy sailing it was just… well…

"Stop glaring." Sasuke said as he passed, eyes fixed on a star map.

Sakura drew her eyes away from her feet and pouted. "I don't like it! Look at them." She pointed her foot straight up and showed the prettily embroidered slippers to the captain.

Sasuke looked away as her dress threatened to slip down her leg – really the girl had no sense of propriety.

"I told you that shoes are now mandatory on this ship. Or would you prefer to get a shard of wood embedded in your foot?"

"Not like these are going to protect against much." Sakura sniffed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Then wear the boots. I thought you didn't like wearing dresses if we're on the ship anyway."

Sakura folded her arms across her chest. "I prefer not to but seeing as I'm still squeaky clean from bathing in the city I'll make the most of feeling like an actual girl. Once I start smelling like the rest of you then I'll go back to wearing trousers."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. He could not comprehend how this slip of a girl got under his skin as she did.

"I think that's enough discussion of fashion for one night." Sasuke said, returning to his map once more. "Go get some sleep. Annoy me marginally less than usual and I'll let you come along on this mission."

Sakura pulled an over exaggeratedly excited face. "Oh thank you great captain! How will I sleep from the excitement?"

Sasuke watched as Sakura stomped towards the inside of the ship, her footfalls muffled by the silk she wore on her feet and laughed lowly to himself. Maybe he should have skipped the shoes and gotten her a muzzle instead.

* * *

><p><strong>Well isn't this just growing in to a nice little series? I love this world I've got here, I think I could easily make a full story out of it separate from the oneshots.<strong>

**I've been working on a Christmas themed chapter for next time but I realise I've not given myself much time to get it up before Christmas day… oh well it is the time for miracles so who knows the next chapter might be up within two days.**

**Thank you for your reviews! **


	6. City

Prompt # 24

City

* * *

><p>"Building is evacuated and secure." Sasuke Uchiha spoke in to the radio on his shoulder. "Last of the civilians should be making their way to you now."<p>

"Copy that." The voice of their commanding officer, Kakashi Hatake crackled through the radio, filling the otherwise empty hallway with noise.

Sasuke released his hand from his hand from the radio and glanced over at his partner. Naruto Uzumaki was staring out of a nearby window, one hand resting lightly on the rifle strapped across his body. They were part of the special ops force, dealing with hostage situations, serial killers, and the more exotic side of weapon based crimes. As it stood, today they had been called in to deal with a bomb threat.

The CEO of one of Japan's central banks had arrived to work that morning and found an unusual item sat on his desk. The glowing circuit board and timer had clued him in that he was facing some serious trouble – the wads of C 4 attached to the circuit probably helped matters too.

Kakashi 's team had arrived soon after the alarm was raised and the towering building had been evacuated and surrounding streets cordoned off. The fact that the bomb had been placed in one of the penthouse offices pointed to a personal vendetta against the CEO – an explosive would always do much more damage if placed towards the centre of the building, and the basement? Well that was a gold mine – electrics, gas mains, the heart of the building as it were.

A thorough sweep of the building let the team know that that their perpetrator was not hanging around, and all that was left to deal with in the meantime was the explosive itself. Kakashi had called back the rest of the team while Sasuke and Naruto volunteered to stay behind and keep a cautionary watch over things. Kakashi had not fought them, knowing there was a very good reason as to why the two boys wanted to stay.

Sasuke whistled lowly, gaining Naruto's attention. "I'm going to go in and check how things are coming along."

Naruto rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, instead going back to looking out the window. It was only the slight tightening of his fingers on his gun that let Sasuke know the blonde man was feeling tense.

Pushing the office door open slowly and gently, Sasuke was greeted with a panoramic view of the Tokyo skyline, numerous potted plants and a large ebony desk. On top of the desk was the troublesome device in question, the silver casing gleaming innocently in the fluorescent lights.

Behind the desk, kneeling on the floor he could just make out a head of unusual pink hair. He slipped in to the room fully, closing the door with a click. Bright green eyes peered around the side of the desk before turning upward in exasperation and focusing back on the bomb.

Sasuke rounded the desk, and took a seat in the plush leather desk chair so that he was viewing the woman on the floor in profile. Her hair was pulled in to a high ponytail, a few wisps escaping and sticking to the perspiration gathering at the back of her neck. Her eyes were focused on her task, and her small hands held a pair of wire strippers in the right and a blue wire in the left.

"What are you doing in here?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she stripped back the blue plastic covering the wire.

"Just came to see how things were going."

"You'll get yourself blown up."

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "You'll blow us up, you're the one with the wire cutters."

"Sasuke." Her voice was full of warning.

"Sakura." He mimicked. "It's hardly fair that you are sat in here on your own facing the danger is it?"

"It's my job."

"And right now my job is security detail, so here I am making sure you're secure."

Sakura shook her head and picked a red wire lightly between her fingers, beginning the delicate task of stripping that wire too.

"Hey."

Sakura flinched, teeth gritting in frustration as Sasuke spoke suddenly. "Damn it Sasuke! I almost cut through the wire!"

Sasuke did not speak again until the wire was uncovered and the stripper was back on the floor. "I heard you went out with Inuzuka."

Sakura froze and blinked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Yeah, I heard him talking to Aburame in the locker rooms."

"Sasuke I really don't think now it the time or place!"

"Stop avoiding the issue, Sakura."

"What issue!? And I'm not avoiding anything. In case you haven't noticed I have my hands inside a bomb armed with a motion sensor. One slip and the whole bloody roof will be gone."

"Did you go out with him?"

Sakura let out a strangled cry. "So help me Sasuke, if you don't shut up I'll castrate you with these wire cutters."

Sasuke raised his hands in a pacifying gesture and sat back in his seat, his intense gaze burning in to the side of Sakura's head.

Sakura let out an angry breath and pushed back the loose strands of her hair before returning her hands back to her task. There was silence for a while as Sakura worked, clipping an external battery on to the exposed wires she had been working on. Once the wires had the battery attached she sat back on her knees and picked up her wire clippers. Keeping her eyes on the instrument in her hands she broke the silence.

"Yes, I went out with Kiba."

"Why?" Sasuke murmured, eyes never leaving her face.

She gave a half-shrug. "He asked. Sometimes it's nice to feel wanted as a woman."

Sasuke folded his arms and frowned. "You know I want you."

Sakura huffed out a mirthless laugh. "But you never ask."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke scoffed. "I think I asked you to dinner last Friday."

"No." Sakura disagreed, clipping through the red wire. "Your exact words were 'I've booked a table for eight o'clock. Wear something pretty.'" She threw Sasuke a dirty look. "Not exactly romance personified."

"So was Kiba a way to get back at me?"

"Damn it , Sasuke!" Sakura snapped. "It isn't always about you, you know? This male bravado thing you have doesn't wash with me. Working in spec ops means I'm used to putting up with stifling macho pig-headedness at work, but in my free time I want nothing to do with it."

Sakura sighed sadly and Sasuke remained frozen as she composed herself. "I know you tried to look like a tough guy when you asked me out because Naruto and the others were nearby but it really hurt me. If you're serious about wanting to take me out then you have to mean, it."

Sasuke waited for her to cut another wire before replying. "I _do_ want you. And to be honest with you, Naruto punched me for asking you out how I did." He saw Sakura's lips twitch at that and he continued. "You're a pretty intimidating woman, Sakura."

"Hm?" She glanced at him.

"You're the only girl I know who dismantles explosives for a living."

"It's a niche market." She deadpanned, her finger poised over a button on the bomb.

"Before you touch that button and potentially kill us, let me finish." Sasuke said.

Sakura sighed and quirked an eyebrow impatiently.

"I've been an idiot. I do like you, but I thought being a testosterone-fuelled bonehead would impress you." Sakura opened her mouth and Sasuke hurried to finish. "But I know now it doesn't so let me try again.

"Sakura, would you please do me the honour of going to dinner with me tonight?"

Sakura observed him for a moment, face blank before she turned back to the explosive on the desk. Her finger jabbed in to the button and the timer on the bomb rapidly decreased. Sasuke lurched forward in his seat, heart in his throat and no real plan other than the urge to cover Sakura's body with his own. Sakura held up a hand to him and he paused, awkwardly hovering in a crouched position as the numbers hit zero and a light on the battery Sakura had attached flickered to life.

Sakura nodded in satisfaction and her fingers slipped round the back of the battery pack, finding a switch there.

Sasuke watched as the battery powered down, and with it the bomb was safely neutralised. When there were no lights on either of the devices on the desk he sagged to the floor and shook his head at Sakura.

"Crazy woman."

She smirked at him and shrugged. "I was just doing my job. But now that that's over I will accept your invitation to dinner."

"You will?" Sasuke perked up.

"Yes." Sakura nodded. "But any more of that chauvinistic crap and you will find out first-hand why it's a bad idea to get on the wrong side of an explosives expert."

Sasuke's lips twitched. "Duly noted."

He stood from his kneeling position and helped Sakura up. He radioed Kakashi to inform him of the success of their mission as they left the room to join Naruto in the corridor. The blonde man grinned widely at Sakura and hugged her tightly, congratulating her on a job well done. Sasuke barely even noticed the wink Naruto gave him as he noticed Sasuke and Sakura's entwined hands.

* * *

><p><strong>So I watched Speed again recently…<strong>

**I've got like 3 other chapters ready to upload for this story, including a couple more parts to the Arabia timeline. I thought it was best to start uploading them – no idea why they've just been sitting on my laptop unedited!**


	7. Music

**Part 4 of Arabia.**

* * *

><p>Prompt # 43<p>

Music

* * *

><p>"What a fabulous situation." Sakura glared at Sasuke who rolled his eyes.<p>

"Believe it or not, I did not plan this."

"Really?" You mean being buried alive under sand was not your goal for today." She gasped, voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Shut up and help me look for a way out."

"I'm pretty sure the point of a trap is that we don't get out."

"Doesn't mean there isn't a way."

Sakura looked up at the ceiling where grains of sand were trickling in to the room like falling gold. The room was filling up with sand a startling speed – they had only been trapped for a few minutes and it was already approaching her knees. Tugging her legs out of the sand, Sakura climbed on top and slipped her way to the opposite side of the room to where Sasuke was searching. Her eyes scanned the walls, but the tiles and gold fixtures appeared innocuous.

"Perhaps we should shout for Naruto?" She suggested mildly.

"He'll be at the other end of the temple by now." Sasuke muttered, pressing his palms against the door with no luck. Sighing he turned and faced Sakura. "Maybe you're right, there is no way out."

Though she had said those words herself mere moments ago, hearing Sasuke admit them made her stomach twist in her stomach. "Let's hope I was wrong."

"We should see if we can figure out a way to stop the sand first and worry about getting out afterwards. " Sasuke mused.

Honestly, when Sasuke had received a new directive from Orochimaru, she had been less than impressed. Abandoned temple, no guards to speak of and crumbling walls – it had sounded quite tame compared to what he had achieved at Gaara's palace. As such, when Sasuke had asked if she wanted to accompany him and Naruto on the retrieval, she had jumped at the chance. It would be a walk in the park.

Unfortunately, she had not taken in to account the ancient traps that were in perfect working condition. They had split up from Naruto to scour the temple for their prize and she and Sasuke had soon stumbled upon the room they were looking for.

The room itself had been completely innocuous. In fact, had it not been for the door slamming behind them when Sasuke picked up a shining object from an alcove, Sakura might not have even realised this was the room containing their treasure. What had made their situation even more _lovely_ had been the grates on the ceiling opening up and depositing a deluge of never-ending sand on them.

Sakura was having to keep shifting to stay on top of the loose grains, the door they had entered through now not visible at all. She pressed her head against the wall and frowned. "Hear that? Gears." She looked over her shoulder to Sasuke. "Do you think it's what's causing the sand to pour in? If we can find a way to get to them, maybe we can stop them."

Sasuke crawled across the sand towards her and reached in to the pouch on his hip. "Here." He pulled out a small black ball and Sakura stared at it for a moment before she noticed the fuse.

"You've had that all along? Why didn't you use it on the door when we first got stuck in here?"

"I was distracted by the sand pouring on us. Besides, it's not powerful enough to take out that slab of a door. Shikamaru creates this as more of a distraction than anything."

Sakura glanced at the wall and shrugged. "Worth a shot I suppose."

Sasuke withdrew a piece of flint from another pouch on his belt and struck it against the wall. It took a few tried but eventually a wayward spark hit the fuse which promptly started burning. Sasuke hastily nestled the bomb next to the tiled wall and dragged Sakura through the sand to the opposite side of the room.

Covering her smaller body with his much larger one, Sasuke braced for the explosion. For such a small thing it packed quite a punch, and Sasuke felt the ripple of air roll across his back. Straightening up he saw that some of the stone of the wall had been blown away, exposing a turning network of cogs and gears beneath.

He got up and scrambled to the wall, withdrawing his long sword and jamming it in the grinding wood. There was a horrible splintering noise, and for a moment, Sasuke thought that his blade would have been snapped in two, but one of the smaller gears could not stand the force and sprung free from the wall. The machinery embedded in to the walls soon ground to a halt and so too did the sand pouring through the ceiling.

"Well that's one problem down." Sakura mused.

Sasuke glanced over at her and couldn't deny she had a point. While the sand was no longer filling the room, it was not draining out either. Sakura was on her knees, her hair just brushing the ceiling, while Sasuke was hunched over at the shoulders.

"I guess we can wait for the idiot to find us." Sasuke said, shifting back to the middle of the room. Sakura joined him, laughing to herself. "What's so funny?"

Sakura smiled at him. "You call Naruto an idiot, and yet we're the ones who nearly got suffocated by sand."

"You're right. Sasuke nodded, lying on his back. "You're the idiot."

Sakura rolled her eyes and lay next to him. "I told you not to touch anything and yet you still went and pulled that... whatever it was from the alcove."

Sasuke reached to his belt once more and his hand returned with a palm-sized brass jar. He held it up and the candles burning at the very corner of the ceiling glinted along the edge. "Well it wouldn't have looked good if we came all this way for nothing would it?"

"Do you even know what that thing is?"

"Nope, but Orochimaru wants it and he pays finely."

Sakura sighed. "I think you're making a mistake."

"What?"

"Things are hidden away for a reason. Kept away from grasping hands to protect the world."

"And you think this," he waved the jar around. "Is dangerous?"

Sakura shrugged. "What I think doesn't matter, but what I know does. And I know that Orochimaru is a man that I would not trust."

Sasuke was silent and tucked the jar away safely.

There was quiet for a long time before Sakura was (of course) the one to break it. "I know I've asked before but, how did you get in to all this?"

Sasuke frowned and glanced at her. "If I didn't answer before what makes you think I will now?"

"Because I'll just keep asking. You're such a contradiction, Sasuke. I want to know who you are."

"You know who I am." Sasuke muttered, looking away.

"Yes." Sakura conceded. "But I also know the past shapes who we are today. I wish you'd trust me enough to let me know what happened to lead you here."

The silence enveloped them once more, and Sasuke found his thoughts running a mile a minute. He did trust Sakura, but he didn't enjoy talking of his past… it wasn't the happiest out there. On reflection however, Sakura had followed him unquestioningly and had placed her life in Sasuke's hands. Perhaps he owed her the truth after all.

Drawing in a deep breath, Sasuke began speaking and, like opening a vein, the words began pouring out.

"My family were wealthy and well-known. I wanted for nothing as a child. My parents had two sons, and so while my older brother was trained to become the next leader of our family, I was free to do as I pleased.

"The attention my brother got from my father was a cause of jealousy from me while I was young, but as I grew up I realised being the second son had its advantages. I had all of the benefits that my wealth befitted me, and none of the rules brother had. I was quite the spoiled brat."

He glanced at Sakura here who rolled her eyes playfully. "Racing the finest horses, wearing the most expensive silks- there was nothing I wanted for. Sailing was a favourite pastime of mine. In the summer one of my uncles would take me to the peninsula and I would be taught how to command a vessel.

"We would be gone for weeks, sailing from port to port, spending money as we went." Sasuke frowned deeply. "It was after one of these trips, the first one I had undertaken by myself without my uncles guidance, that things changed. I returned to our estate to find everyone dead – my uncles, aunts, cousins. And in the main house my mother and father."

Sakura pressed a hand against her mouth. "Who would do such a thing?"

"My brother was not among the bodies."

"You think he-?"

"I do not wish to believe it, and it makes little sense but there must be a reason why he was not among the dead." Sasuke's eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the ceiling.

"So that explains your appreciation for finery, but how did you come to have command of this crew?" Sakura felt that the more Sasuke tried to explain, the more questions she had.

"That is where the Hyuuga family comes in. My family and the Hyuugas were always in competition. Their power over their city matched the power the Uchihas had over their own. I was surprised when, all alone and barely a man, I was summoned by Hiyashi. Though he and my father had been rivals, they had respected one another, and Hiyashi offered to take me in and help me. My family's wealth was held in trust for me by Hiyashi.

"Of course, he could not stop me from using my money as I wished but I put my faith in him and soon it proved me well – I could stop and settle in a fine house and never worry about money ever again."

"Then why don't you?" Sakura whispered, eyes studying his profile.

Sasuke remained pensive for a while before speaking again. "I found little joy in anything after what happened to my family. I walked around the Hyuuga estate like a ghost. He sighed and Sakura saw his lips twitched at the corners slightly. "One day Hiyashi took purchase of a new ship from a city down the coast. He needed someone to sail it back and I agreed to do it – anything seemed better than remaining in the unfamiliar town. When I was back on that ship I realised how much I had missed sailing. I felt lighter than I had in months.

"From then on, when Hiyashi needed things brought to him over the sea, I would captain the task. There was one particular task he sent me on, retrieving a particularly fine necklace, that almost resulted in me losing my life. I would have never thought I would be a man driven by such things but the rush it gave me – I was sold. I returned to Hiyashi and trained in swordplay and decided to break off on my own.

"Hiyashi did not stop me – he donated the ship I sail to my cause – and I left my fortunes in his hands once more. I applied for a crew and... well you've seen what I got. Some joined and left, others we picked up along the way, but we do okay. I return back to Hiyashi from time to time and run errands for him if he needs it. There are a few more regular clientele I have but other than that we sail where we choose and do as we wish."

Sakura remained silent for a long time after Sasuke finished speaking, the aand filled room deathly quiet. "I'm... I want to say I'm sorry but I don't want you to think I'm pitying you. It's good that you are doing what you enjoy... but still I'm sorry that you came to this point the way you did." She glanced over at him. "Have you heard nothing more of your brother?"

He shook his head. "No. I always keep an ear out wherever we end up. I would like to be able to say that I am not still living my life around that night... but I need to know what truly happened. Whether he had something to do with it, whether he actually did die that night... or if he was innocent then why did he run?"

"How long have you been looking?!"Sakura asked softly.

"Almost ten years."

Sakura was unsure how to respond, but was saved from having to when a glorious noise drifted to her ears. Footsteps.

"Do you hear that?"" Sasuke nodded at her and as one they sat up, mindful of their heads and shifted closer to the wall where the door should have been.

"-ME!? –AK-RA?"

"That's Naruto." Sakura said excitedly. "In here!" She shouted back.

She looked at Sasuke who rolled his eyes before joining in her shouts. They heard a muffled thumping on the door and waited with baited breath.

Whatever Naruto did seemed to be successful as they suddenly found the sand they were sat on become very unsteady indeed. Sakura grasped Sasuke's shirt and he in turn grabbed her arm as the sand rolled and slid down like a crashing wave through the now-open door. The layer of sand beneath them carried them smoothly out in to the hallway where they came, disorientated and dizzy, to a halt next to Naruto's feet.

The blonde blinked down at them before his face broke in to an unsure smile. "Hello?"

* * *

><p>"I can't stop finding sand." Sakura complained, running a hand through her hair and sending a shower of golden grains trickling to the floor. "I need a bath desperately."<p>

"Didn't you grow up travelling the desert?" Sasuke asked as they made their way out of the temple.

"Yes but believe it or not, I didn't go swimming in it."

"Well it will be dark by the time we get back to the port, and I don't want to ship out until it's light. Feel free to visit a bath house in town."

"It's your chance to sleep on solid ground again, Sakura." Naruto piped up. "As much as I love sailing, it's still nice to sleep in a bed that isn't moving from time to time."

Sasuke looked over at her. "Some of the men like to book a room at the inn in towns."

"I bet they do." Sakura snorted. "Is there a bar attached to the inn by any chance?"

"How did you guess?" Sasuke muttered.

"Well it sounds like a nice idea." Sakura agreed. "It would be nice to be clean for once." She looked pointedly at Naruto. "Although it would be easier to fit in with you men if I smelled like a pig."

Naruto raise his arm and sniffed. "I don't smell." He protested. "That's the fine aroma of a man."

"Or cattle but then what's the difference?" Sakura laughed, ducking out of the way to avoid Naruto's attempt to grab her.

They made their way to the horses tethered outside the temple and mounted them. Sasuke glanced over at his companions and nodded.

"Back to the port. Come on." With that he spurred his horse and the three figures disappeared rapidly in to the desert.

* * *

><p>As Sasuke had predicted, night was falling by the time the three arrived back at the port. They returned the horses to the stables and headed back to the ship, informing the rest of the crew of their successful trip.<p>

There had been cheers all round when Sasuke gave the entire crew leave for the night. Sakura had never seen the crew move so quickly and found herself being swept along with Naruto and the others in the direction of the biggest inn in town.

While Sasuke passed over a sizeable pile of coin to rent rooms for all the crew, the other men honed in on the tavern next door like moths to a flame. Sakura watched them go, a wry smile of amusement on her face. Her attention was drawn back to Sasuke who pressed a key in to her hand.

"Here, your room." He then pointed at a large archway to their right. "The owner also tells me there are baths just through there."

Sakura's face split in to a wide smile. "Perfect. I'll meet you in the tavern?"

Sasuke was surprised. "Really? I would have thought you would have given it a miss."

"I'm a part of the crew right?" Sakura shrugged. "Might as well see what all the fuss is about."

"Wait," Sasuke called, stopping her before she could disappear beyond the arch. "You've never tried alcohol before?"

"Nope." Sakura smiled and ducked from the room.

Sasuke watched her go and groaned, a rough hand coming up to drag down his face. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

><p>When Sakura found the crew in the bar, they were already well on their way to complete intoxication.<p>

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled happily when he spotted her. "You're all clean and girly smelling again!"

This prompted a cheer from the rest of the gang and Sakura's eyebrows shot in to her hairline. She took a seat between Sasuke and Kakashi who were apparently the only ones not ten sheets to the wind.

Sasuke glanced over at her and had to admit that Sakura looked very nice in her fresh dress and with shining hair not covered in a layer of sand… not that he'd admit it out loud of course.

"They're having fun." Sakura noted, nodding towards the other side of the table where Kiba and Naruto had started up an arm-wrestling competition.

"They'll regret it in the morning when we're shipping out at dawn." Sasuke snorted, taking a draught of his own drink.

Sakura eyed the mass of glasses in the middle of the table, all filled with a cloudy white liquid. She pulled one towards her and sniffed at it cautiously. The smell tickled at her nose and she looked over at Sasuke who was watching her.

"What is it?"

"Arak. It's a liquor mixed with water."

"You water it down?"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "I don't think you'd want to try it straight. I'd be careful with it as it is. You _are_ a beginner after all."

Sakura bristled at his words and the mocking tone he spoke them in. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she drank the glass back in one and immediately started coughing. She heard Kakashi chuckling as he patted her back.

The warm sensation of the alcohol spread through her chest and, once the coughing subsided, Sakura found the taste left behind on her tongue to be quite pleasant.

"Hey, not bad!" She reached forward for another glass when Sasuke's hand closed around her wrist. She glared at him but the man was unmoved.

"Pace yourself."

"Aw let the girl have some fun, Sasuke." Naruto piped up from his seat, reaching forward to push a glass in to Sakura's hand.

Seeing he was not going to win this argument, Sasuke sighed and released Sakura's arm, looking on as she sipped this one more reservedly than the first. Sasuke nodded to himself, glad that she was at least more sensible than the men.

At least, that's what he thought.

When the crew struck upon the bright idea of a drinking competition, Sakura agreed to join in. Sasuke was slightly impressed at how well she kept up, seeing off Chouji, Naruto and Shikamaru before she conceded defeat. Sasuke eyed her form, slightly swaying as it was, after the little competition drew to a close and felt that things hadn't gone as bad as they could have done.

Of course, he should have known that he could always rely on Naruto to drive him insane. The blonde ordered another round of drinks and disappeared out in to the street. He returned minutes later with a group of musicians that Sasuke had spotted busking near the port when they had docked.

Naruto threw some coins at the men and demanded that they "play something lively".

Things escalated from there.

Sasuke knew Sakura was an excellent dancer, unfortunately he had not realised that she had an almost pathological compulsion to dance… although admittedly, that could have been a result of the alcohol she had consumed.

The musicians struck up a particularly lively number and Naruto and Kiba were soon on their feet doing an ungainly, wobbling attempt at a dance. The other patrons of the bar laughed and clapped along with the music, cheering the two drunkards on.

Sakura apparently found this all to be great fun and, before Sasuke realised she had moved, was stood next to Naruto and Kiba and dancing along. While the men had been clumsy in their movements, Sakura retained her natural grace even in a state of inebriation. The laughs of the others in the bar turned to catcalls and Sasuke's fists clenched. He was halfway out of his seat when Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down.

He glared at the older man who rolled his visible eye. "Give her a break. She isn't harming anyone."

Sasuke grunted but remained where he was, watching carefully as Sakura lost herself in the music. He had to admit that her face was full of glee as she swayed and twisted to the music, and he realised how important her dancing was to her.

He drew the line however, when she hooped up on to the table and her feet carried her in a dizzying series of spins. Sasuke ignored Kakashi's chiding words and made his way over to Sakura, just in time to catch her as she lost her balance and fell from the table.

Her bleary green eyes blinked up at him before her face broke in to a happy smile.

"Sssasuke! Comen dansh with me!"

Sasuke shook his head in exasperation and carried back over to where Kakashi was reading. "I'm going to go put her to bed."

Kakashi nodded. "Are we still shipping out at first light?"

"Yes."

Kakashi peered over the top of his book at Sasuke. "Are you going to tell the rest of the crew that?"

"I will." Sasuke smirked. "At first light."

Kakashi laughed lowly and went back to his book.

Sasuke carried Sakura from the tavern and the short distance to the inn next door. The proprietor of the inn was nowhere to be seen and Sasuke was glad that he was spared having to give any form of explanation for the girl in his arms.

He made his way towards the room Sakura was staying in, all the while trying to ignore the girl in his arms who was stroking his jaw like one would an affectionate pet.

"You're so pretty." She mumbled, her hand falling short of its destination and coming to rest against his collar bone.

Sasuke glanced down at her sleep face and had to bite his tongue – he was wondering if it would be considered cruel to bring her little speech up to her in the morning.

"Is that so?" He smirked.

"Mhmm." She yawned. "And you've got a nice pos-poste… you've got a nice bum too."

Sasuke's footsteps faltered at that glanced around, glad the hallways were empty at this time of night.

"Thank you." He said for want of any better reply.

He was relieved to come to Sakura's room at that moment, and after trying the door he found it unlocked – he'd have to have a word with Sakura about that when she was actually coherent.

Pushing the door open, he placed Sakura on the bed where she flung her arms and legs out like a starfish and sighed. "Ah 'm sleepy."

"I'd get as much sleep as I could if I were you. You're not going to be feeling great when you wake up."

"Am I sick?" Sakura peered up at him through half-closed eyes.

Sasuke laughed lowly. "You will be tomorrow."

Sakura looked at him for a long moment before rolling on to her side, facing his direction. "Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Thanks for bringing me with you." She smiled and closed her eyes. "You're much better than Gaara."

Sasuke watched as her breathing quickly evened out and she dropped in to a deep sleep.

He opened his mouth but words failed him and he shook his head instead. "Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

><p>The ship was full of miserable faces the next day.<p>

True to his word, Sasuke had dragged the entire crew out of bed at the crack of dawn and they had shipped out soon after.

Sasuke had gone to wake Sakura himself and found her laying perfectly still on the cold stone floor. When he had asked her what she was doing there, Sakura had mumbled that the bed had been "swaying" and so the floor seemed like a better option.

Presently, Sakura was hanging over the side of the ship, taking deep breaths and cursing the day she had ever discovered alcohol.

"I hate to say 'I told you so'." Sasuke drawled, coming to stand next to her despondent form.

"Then don't." Sakura mumbled. The swaying of the ship made her retch again and Sasuke sighed.

"Go see Chouji and ask him to make you something simple to eat. You'll feel better for it."

"No thank you. I'm quite happy here."

"Suit yourself. Maybe you'll know better than to get in such a state again in the future."

Sakura laughed. "I was perfectly in control of myself thank you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You meant every word you said last night?"

"Well no," Sakura admitted. "I told a few lies." She lifted her head up and sent Sasuke a wicked look. "You're bum isn't really that great."

Sasuke blinked in surprise before he laughed quietly to himself. It seemed this girl would always find a way to surprise him.

* * *

><p><strong>I really do enjoy writing this series - the Arabia chapters come so easily. I've got so many chapters for it written but I'm going to try and space it out a little. No point in exhausting Sasuke and Sakura's adventures in the desert before due time right?<strong>

**Thanks for all your lovely reviews.**


	8. Snow

Prompt # 32

Snow

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><p>"You have got to be kidding me!" Small hands hit down on the steering wheel with surprising strength. "What is wrong with you? I gave you petrol an hour ago!"<p>

Drivers of the cars that had been behind her on the dark road lost their patience and steered around the stranded vehicle, the drivers shooting her filthy looks as they went. Sakura sent a choice gesture back and huffed – she was not feeling very patient.

Sakura turned the engine off, gave it a few seconds before trying the ignition once more. The engine just clicked over, the car shuddering in its attempt to start. Sighing , she sat back and glared at the dashboard. There was no light on there to tell her what was wrong with the car – it looked like her faithful rust bucket had finally confounded the universe.

Jabbing an angry finger in to the button for the hazard lights, Sakura was relieved to find that they were working at least. The dark lane was filled with intermittent flashes of orange and Sakura grabbed her bag off the passenger seat. Digging around the text books and notepads she had with her, she finally found her phone. She pulled up her father's number and called it. She listened to it ring a few times before her father's voice sounded in her ear.

"Hi there!"

"Dad, thank god. I've broken down and-"

"You've reached Kizashi Haruno. Unfortunately I can't get to the phone right now. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you."

Sakura groaned but waited for the beep before speaking again. "Dad, it's Sakura. I've broken down just outside of town. I'm going to walk in to town. Please ring me when you get this so you can come and pick me up." Sakura paused and then decided to add, "And turn your phone on dammit!"

Sakura ended the call and immediately dialled her step-mother's number. It was to no avail however, and she was reduced to leaving another voicemail.

There was of course one other person she could call but Sakura would much rather get frostbite than call _them_. With no other plan of action, Sakura knew she would be walking in to town.

She grabbed her coat and scarf from the backseat and her bag from beside her. Turning the car off, Sakura pocketed the keys – she would have loved to have been able to move her car further on to the hard shoulder but with the roads as icy as they were she knew she had no chance.

She stepped out of the car and shrugged her coat on before wrapping the long scarf around her neck a few times. Retrieving the warning triangle from the boot of her car she backtracked down the road and placed it on the road – best not to have someone crash in to the back of her car after all.

Bag slung over her shoulder and hands stuffed deep in her pockets, Sakura began her trek in to town. She glanced at her car longingly as she passed it, clicking the key in her pocket to lock it and hurried onwards. The sign she had seen just before her car had broken down had let her know she was about two miles from where she needed to be and, with the first flakes of snow drifting from the sky, Sakura was eager to eat up that distance.

* * *

><p>She made good progress to the town and was happy to see the bright lights of bars and restaurants loom in to view. Sakura was glad as the snow was getting worse and she had no real clue where she was headed – she knew her father's address and that was about it.<p>

Sakura pulled her phone from her pocket and tried her dad once more as she walked but it just went straight to voicemail this time – no rings at all.

The main street in the town was quite empty, with people either hurrying back home or in to the shops that lined it. She spotted a taxi a little further down the street and did an internal happy dance. She knocked on the passenger side window and the driver looked at her curiously. Sakura cursed under her breath and mimed rolling the window down.

"Hi," She smiled, well she tried to through her chattering teeth. "I need to get to get to Millbrook Lane." The driver nodded and pointed straight ahead. "It's another three miles that way until you get to the edge of town and then a mile and a half up the hill."

Sakura eyed him dubiously – why was he telling her that? "Well can you take me?"

"Sorry Darling, I'm not driving anywhere until the snow clears a bit."

"Are you having a laugh?" Sakura frowned. "The whole point of cars is they get you where you need to go fast and keep you warm and dry while doing it."

"Look Lady, I know these streets and I'm not risking driving until the snow either stops or starts settling. Last thing I want is to hit some black ice. Look, why don't you go get a coffee over there and when the weather clears a little I'll take you wherever you need to go."

Sakura had to bite her tongue and settled on giving the man a fierce look instead. He had a point though – there was nothing she could do until someone gave her a lift to her father's. It would be risking it to try and walk, and even if the weather wasn't so horrible there was still the fact that she didn't know how exactly to get to get there.

Sakura headed towards the coffee shop the taxi driver had pointed out and pushed the door open. She was greeted with a gentle tinkling noise and a blast of warm air.

The cafe was quite full, quiet conversations barely heard over the softly playing Christmas music. The place itself was welcoming; the walls painted a duck egg blue with squishy looking sofas and arm chairs in white and cream colours and coffee tables in dark walnut.

Sakura eyed the welcoming looking fireplace sending out warmth at the far side of the shop and approached the counter.

"Hey there Sweetie, what can I get you?" The cheerful looking woman behind the counter smiled.

Sakura glanced up at the board behind her before shrugging. "Something with a lot of caffeine please?"

"One of those days huh? You look frozen."

Sakura brushed at the top of her head and quite a lot of snow fell to the floor and the woman laughed.

"You go take a seat by the fire and I'll bring you a nice hot drink straight over."

Sakura smiled thankfully and did as she was told. The area around the fire was surprisingly empty with the sofas directly in front of the hearth occupied by a single man with dark hair, his face buried in a book.

Sakura opted for the other side of the sofa and shrugged off her pea coat and unwound her scarf, shaking them out a little before laying them across the back of the sofa to dry. She smoothed down her knitted dress and took a seat, sighing as she sank in to the soft cushions.

She was aware of the man further down the sofa giving her an odd look but she ignored it, choosing to pull out her phone and check for messages – nothing. Fabulous.

"Here you go sweetheart." The waitress came and placed a large steaming mug on the coffee table before her. "I put an extra shot of espresso in for you. Milk, sugar?"

"Ah no," Sakura smiled. "This is perfect." She reached forward and scooped up the mug, noticing a deliciously indulgent looking muffin on the table. She looked up at the beaming woman. "I didn't order-"

"On the house." The lady cut her off. "You look like you could us a treat."

Sakura smiled widely. "That's very kind of you." Observing the woman now without the counter between them she could see the noticeable swell of her stomach. "You look like you're close to the end now."

The woman put a hand on her stomach and smiled softly. "I am, and very pleased about it. I seem to have dropped a little lately."

"You might be expecting a Christmas baby then." Sakura laughed. "It sounds like the little one is getting in to position."

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Are you a midwife?"

Sakura shook her head. "Medical student. I recently did my OB/GYN rotation and found it fascinating."

The waitress eyed her curiously. "Are you Kizashi's daughter?"

Sakura blinked. "Yes, I am."

"He never shuts up about how much of a genius his daughter is."

Sakura groaned lightly. "He never changes."

"He has reason to be proud." The lady grinned and held out a hand. "It's good to put a face to a name. I'm Kurenai."

"Sakura."

"Well Sakura, after all these years we finally get to meet you."

Sakura suddenly felt guilty for never visiting her father before now. She had always been insistent that Kizashi make the journey to see her. She had been angry with her father for leaving her mother for another woman and in her mind her mother needed her presence more than her father did.

"Yeah," she laughed awkwardly. "I was running out of excuses I guess."

Kurenai seemed to realise she'd hit a sensitive subject and patted her shoulder. "You get that hot drink down you and warm yourself up. Just give me a call if you need anything else."

She swept away before Sakura reply and the girl shrugged. She settled back in her seat, crossing one leg over the over and breathing in the heavenly smell of quality coffee. She barely heard the door jingle as someone entered but she couldn't fail to notice the yellow blur that launched itself over the back of the sofa and landed in between Sakura and her silent dark-haired companion.

The sofa bounced violently and the drink in her hands moved violently. She held her cup out in front of her to avoid the coffee hitting her clothes. There was no saving her hands from the fallout however and she hissed as the hot liquid splashed her skin.

"Ah I'm sorry!" The blonde cannon ball apologised loudly, grabbing a stack of napkins off the table and, taking the mug from Sakura's hands, wiping her hands off with them.

Sakura stared, confounded, at the man as he wiped down her hands, words spilling out of his mouth non-stop.

"I'm sorry! I wanted to scare the bastard here and I didn't spot you though I suppose I should have considering you have pink hair and all. Are your hands hurt? Do you think you should run them under cold water?"

Sakura brought one of her hands up and placed it on the man's own. She offered him a weak smile. "It's fine. I'm fine. Really."

The man smiled, blue eyes twinkling. "Great! I'm Naruto."

"Sakura." She returned, slightly shocked at the man's abrupt change of emotion.

"And this is Sasuke." Naruto pointed at the ebony haired man who had watched the whole exchange.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded at Sakura who smiled back, unable to ignore how handsome he was.

"So, I've not seen you about before Sakura. And everybody knows everybody in this place. You just moved here?" Naruto asked, throwing the soiled napkins on to the coffee table.

Sakura shook her head. "Just visiting."

"You meeting someone here?" Naruto asked, glancing around the shop.

"Ah no." Sakura sighed. "My car broke down a couple of miles out of town. I can't get in touch with my dad so I decided to walk in and well here I am."

"You walked in those?" Naruto pointed to the heeled boots she was wearing and Sakura grinned.

"Good purchase on the ice."

Sasuke snorted at her teasing tone but didn't say anything.

"So you're visiting your dad?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. He moved here years ago with his wife."

"And you haven't visited him before?" Naruto queried.

Sakura sighed and smiled at Naruto. "No I usually spend Christmas with my mom."

"Why didn't you this year?"

Sasuke smacked Naruto across the back of the head. "You're being rude, idiot."

"It's okay." Sakura assured. "Well my mom is not a lover of winter so she decided to take a winter break and is most likely sunbathing on a beach somewhere."

"You didn't want to go?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's not Christmas without snow. Besides I couldn't get that much time off work, I'm lucky I got this week off. Besides, it's been a while since I saw my dad so I thought I had best come and see him."

"Important job?"

"I'm a medical student. I'm doing my rotation at hospital so it's been busy."

"Hey check it out, Sasuke. We've got a genius sat here."

Sakura shook her head in amusement. "If I was such a hot shot then I would have been able to afford a better car than the one back there that's probably been crashed in to by now." She glanced at her phone again but there had been no messages or calls.

"Isn't there someone else you can call?" " Sasuke spoke this time.

"I've tried my dad and stepmother but they must both be out somewhere. I didn't tell my dad what time I was getting here to surprise him but that's not worked out in my favour."

"Is there no one else?" Naruto piped up.

Sakura pulled a face. "My step-sister but I would rather eat my own face than call her."

"Ah evil stepfamily?"

"My step mom is fine but _her_? Well she ticks all the clichés in the book."

"What does she do?" Sasuke asked.

"She's 'finding herself' at the moment." Sakura sniffed.

Sasuke smirked. "Unemployed?"

"Yep."

"Well," Naruto grinned stretching his arms along the back of the sofa. "You definitely have one up on her there."

"But _she_ has an amazingly handsome and rich boyfriend. So I'll get to spend all of the holidays hearing how sad it is that I'm single."

"She sounds like a real piece of work." Naruto frowned.

"Hey, you probably know her. You said that everyone knows each other here."

Sasuke's face was pensive and he turned more in his seat to face Sakura before Naruto could reply. "Didn't I hear you tell Kurenai that your father is Kizashi Haruno?"

"You did."

Naruto grimaced fiercely and shuddered. "Oh man! Then that means your step-sister is Karin?"

Sakura nodded and Naruto erupted in to laughter. She looked past him and saw Sasuke with an odd look on his face as though he had just smelled something unpleasant.

"What? So you do know her?"

"Know her!" Naruto chortled. "Karin's 'boyfriend' would just so happen to be Mr Tall-Dark-and-Moody over here."

"Eh?" Sakura looked as Sasuke. "You and Karin?"

"No!" Sasuke bit out and turned his head away. Sakura blinked in surprise.

"Ha! She wishes. Karin follows Sasuke around like a little puppy... ever since we were kids. She's terrorised this git here for years."

Sakura's face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't understand. The last time I spoke to her she said that she was sure she'd be engaged by New Year's."

Naruto's face was bright red from laughing as he held his stomach and gasped for breath. "Whoo! Let me be best man, Sasuke."

Sasuke scowled and shoved Naruto's doubled over form from the sofa. The blonde took no notice and continued to writhe around on the floor.

"Well," Sakura murmured, glancing over at Sasuke. "I think this week will be very interesting." She paused in thought for a moment before a devilish smile spread over her face. "I think I have another phone call to make."

* * *

><p>Sakura was stood at the counter, getting another coffee and talking to Kurenai about her pregnancy again.<p>

"I know it seems scary but more babies than you would think are in a breech position. They usually have this amazing knack for turning themselves the right way just before they are due."

Kurenai smiled. "Thank you, Sakura. I can't help but be a little scared."

"First baby - you'd be crazy if you weren't scared."

"You _always_ have to show off don't you?"

Sakura stiffened at the voice and pulled a face at Kurenai. The older woman smiled and the sneering voice sounded again.

"She's not a doctor so I wouldn't listen to her."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Not a doctor _yet_ although you wouldn't know it, she's very knowledgeable."

Sakura smiled thankfully at the woman and picked up her coffee. Turning she faced her step-sister and forced a smile. "Karin."

Unsettling red eyes narrowed behind glasses. "Are you ready to go? I've got better things to do than taxi you around."

Sakura brought her mug up to her lips to hide the smirk she was fighting. "Have a hot date?"

Karin sniffed imperiously. "As a matter of fact I do."

"Well I want to finish my coffee first. Hey, I don't think you ever told me your boyfriend's name before."

"Why do you want to know?" Karin asked suspiciously.

Sakura shrugged. "It's just weird that you've never used his name." She looked at Karin with sympathetic eyes. "Does he have a stupid name?"

Karin bristled. "Sasuke does not have a stupid name _thank you very much_."

"Oh Sasuke? Okay that _is_ a good name." Sakura conceded. She heard Kurenai cough to disguise a laugh behind her and bit the inside of her own mouth to hold the façade together.

"Look I want to go so can you hurry up and finish your drink?" Karin sneered.

"Sure." Sakura shrugged. "Just let me say goodbye to the new friends I made."

"You've been in town for like an hour. How many people could you possibly have met?"

"Kurenai here," Sakura smiled over her shoulder. "And just two other people. You probably know them. Come on."

Sakura headed back to the fireplace and heard Karin groan but follow after her regardless.

"Hey guys, do you know my step-sister?"

Two heads – one blonde and one ebony – turned around at Sakura's voice and the girl grinned as Karin screeched to a halt beside her.

"Sasuke!" Karin gasped.

"Oh this is _your_ Sasuke?" Sakura said with feigned astonishment. "Well, Sasuke why didn't you say you were practically engaged to my step-sister?"

Sasuke raised a dark eyebrow and Karin was frozen for a few excruciatingly long seconds before an unintelligible squeak escaped her and she turned tail and fled from the café.

Naruto snorted and even Sasuke looked amused at the turn of events. Sakura on the other hand was looking in the direction Karin had ran, the smile slipping from her face a little.

"Hey, why the long face?" Naruto chirped. "That was brilliant!"

"I just feel like it might have been a little harsh." Sakura worried her lower lip between her teeth.

"Are you kidding me? You said that Karin loves to make you feel bad about yourself."

"It doesn't mean that I should have done the same to her."

"Hey." Sakura started at the quiet voice and looked over at Sasuke. "We know Karin well enough to know that this won't put even a dent in her armour. Don't worry."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "I'd best go after her at any rate. She is my lift home after all."

Sakura was surprised when Sasuke stood and picked her coat up from the back of the sofa and helped her in to it.

"If you need a personal taxi service while you're in town, just let me know."

Sakura felt his hand slip in to her coat pocket and glanced at Sasuke through her eyelashes, her lips twitching. "Sure."

Naruto appeared at her side then, her bag and scarf clutched in his hands. "Maybe we could do something tomorrow? We definitely have to meet up again before you go."

Sakura wrapped herself in her scarf and took her bag from the blonde. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Catch you later."

* * *

><p>Sakura found Karin stood down the street, leaning against the shiny cherry red car that her mother had bought for her.<p>

"Karin?"

Karin stiffened but did not look at her step-sister. "Are you ready now?"

"Hey." Sakura reached forward and grasped Karin's arm before the girl could climb in to the car. "I'm sorry."

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Sorry?"

"Yeah. I knew Sasuke wasn't your boyfriend. I wanted to take you down a peg."

"Take _me_ down a peg?" Karin shrugged Sakura's hand off her arm.

"Yeah." Sakura shrugged. "You always flaunt how in love you are… or I guess were. I was sick of being jealous."

Karin blinked. "You were jealous of me?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly, leaning on the car and rolling her eyes. "Well you told me enough times how sad and single I am."

Karin gaped for a moment and shook her head. "Well it's fair play. Do you know how often I have to hear mom and your dad sing your praises?"

"So you thought it would be best to lie? Karin, I don't care if you have a good job or a fiancé." Sakura realised how dangerously close to _mushy_ this scene was becoming and she cleared her throat. "I'll always think you're an evil cow."

Karin smirked and adjusted her glasses. "Good because I'll always _know_ that you're an annoying know-it-all." She opened the driver's side door and glanced at Sakura. "Don't think that this means we understand each other now or something. I still don't like you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Sakura replied, moving around to the passenger seat. "Besides that's what Christmas is about – spending time with people you secretly can't stand, right?"

But, mused Sakura, in the interest of keeping Christmas as conflict-free as possible, she would _not_ be telling Karin about the phone number folded up in her coat pocket.

* * *

><p><strong>So this was going to be a Christmas chapter but then I was as bad a procrastinator as ever and it was suddenly Easter. No idea how that happened! <strong>

**Even worse, I have just checked Doc Manger and realised that even though I uploaded this chapter three months ago, I never posted it. I fail on so many levels...  
><strong>


	9. Native

Prompt # 14

Native

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><p>"Well well well. Look at what the cat dragged in."<p>

Sakura sighed inwardly as she heard the familiar and most unwelcome voice. Fixing a smile on her face she turned around. "Ami."

It was just like high school, with the purple haired girl flanked by Kasumi and Fuki – the only difference now being that they were all grown women.

"Little cry baby Sakura." Ami smirked. "I didn't think that you were even coming back for this reunion. I was on the planning committee and I didn't see your name on the guest list."

"It's on there." Sakura said simply.

Ami glanced around. "No date, Sakura? I'd have thought ten years would be a long enough time for you to have found someone to take pity on you."

Sakura's lips twitched in to an amused smile. She had changed a lot since high school, both outwardly (she knew she looked damn fine _thank you very much_) and on the inside. Where once Ami's comments would have reduced her to tears, she now only found the woman's juvenile antics pathetic.

"You haven't changed at all." Sakura noted.

That wasn't quite true however – Ami's tendency to frown and scowl had left a few lines etched in to the skin of her forehead and she was wearing a lot more makeup than she used to (and wasn't that saying something?)

"Oh check out holier-than-thou Haruno." Ami sneered to her friends. "You ran off so soon after graduation. Where did you go?"

"University." Sakura said simply. "Then medical school."

Ami blinked. "You were always so focused on _learning_." She said it like it was a dirty word. "No wonder you've ended up alone."

"And what about you Ami?" Sakura asked pleasantly. "How have you been in the last ten years?"

"I married a very successful man." Ami sniffed.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is he here? I'd love to meet him."

Ami's cronies shifted uncomfortably and Ami shrugged. "No he's not here."

Sakura understood. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Ami scowled. "I don't want sympathy from yoju. Besides, he left behind a lovely little divorce settlement for me. Worth it in the end I suppose."

Sakura was unimpressed and looked for a reason to escape.

"It's all worked out for the better." Ami continued. "Because a certain Sasuke Uchiha has come to this little gathering."

Sakura paused at that. "Sasuke?" Her voice was curious.

"Oh come on, even a nobody like you must remember him. He was gorgeous." Ami sighed dreamily. "I've waited ten years for him to come back to this town and I'm making sure he doesn't slip through my fingers again."

"He was so mysterious and quiet at school." Kasumi whispered.

"So cool." Fuki agreed.

"It's just a shame he took off after graduation too. He moved out to the big city I hear." Ami smiled nastily. "I think a more luxurious lifestyle in the city would suit me well."

"Um, Ami?" Fuki started nervously. "Don't forget, he put 'plus one' on his RSVP."

"Well of course he did." Ami scoffed. "You can't expect a man like _that_ to come without a date. Even Forehead here must realise that."

Sakura did indeed remember Sasuke Uchiha from high school. She remembered how annoyed he was with the constant harassment from the female population and how he would take refuge in the library... just like she did to hide from the bullies.

This place brought bad memories back unbidden, but Sakura's mood was brightened from the depressing thoughts by a voice behind her.

"There you are."

In front of her, Sakura could see the three girls straighten up and puff their chests out before their expressions dropped in shock.

Grinning, Sakura turned around and faced her husband who was holding a wriggling bundle in his arms.

"One baby boy all clean and changed."

She took her son in her arms and smiled. "Thank you Sasuke-kun."

"What the hell!?" Ami screeched as Sasuke slid his arm around his wife and tucked her close to his side.

"You remember my _husband_ don't you Ami?" Sakura couldn't stop the glee that bubbled up inside of her as the purple haired woman spluttered nonsensical sounds.

"But how-?"

"I suppose that we have you to thank for it actually." Sakura grinned, looking up at the man whose onyx eyes were dancing with amusement. "After you and the other fan girls chased him like rabid dogs, Sasuke-kun decided the library would be his safest place to hide – I mean I don't think you even knew our school _had_ a library." Sasuke snorted and Sakura continued. "Of course I spent a lot of time in there too, also hiding from you Ami."

Sakura's smile stayed in place though her eyes were hard. "We eventually started talking and as luck would have it ended up at the same university... the rest is history."

Ami shook her head. "This must be a joke. I mean why would he choose _you_?"

"Grow up." Sasuke snapped suddenly. "You carry on like we're still little kids. If you could see further than the end of your own nose then you might have realised that no one cares how popular you were at high school."

Ami gaped like a fish and Sakura rubbed her husband's arm. It was most unlike him to show such emotion in public but she knew how much anger it had caused him when he realised that the girl he had fallen in love with had spent her school years in fear of bullies.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." He grunted and kept his fierce glare fixed on Ami. ""My wife is intelligent, beautiful and a compassionate human being. All of which you still do not understand how to be."

The baby in Sakura's arms gave a small cry and drew the attention away from the ashen-faced Ami. Sakura bounced the baby lightly and gave her husband a grateful smile.

"Come on, I still want to say hello to Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke nodded and led her away, arm still wrapped firmly around her shoulders. The sound of Ami's friends trying to console the now bawling girl made Sakura smirk.

Maybe she would visit her old home more often.

* * *

><p><strong>You go Sakura!<strong>

**Thanks for the lovely reviews guys… and if you want to slip a few more my way then I promise it will be our little secret ;)**


	10. Concubine

Prompt # 09

Concubine

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><p>Karin lived her days consumed by a fierce hate for the world – a world so unfair that had forced her to live each of her moments in a state of heartache.<p>

Throughout her childhood, as she had grown up, she had thought that she would have the perfect life. She had been betrothed upon her birth to the Emperor's youngest son. Her family were part of the Imperial inner circle and though her father would have preferred a boy to carry on his line, Karin was made useful in her marriage contract.

Karin had grown from a child to a young woman and had known that the hand of the second in line to the throne would be hers. She had married him as expected and she was content.

She had always been an ambitious woman and she had eyed the older brother of her husband as an obstacle at first – had he not been in the way then she would have been guaranteed a place as Empress in the future. She had almost mentioned it to her husband – her mind forming the perfect way to clear the path to the throne – but she saw how much her husband idolised his brother and so she held her tongue.

Karin silently despaired at the fact that her husband lacked the drive to do _whatever_ it took to get forward in life. She had been raised from a young age with her father's lessons in her mind – no matter how much blood needed to be shed it was worth it to ensure wealth and social prosperity.

Regardless, Karin taught herself to settle for what she had – she was almost at the pinnacle after all and so could satisfy herself in the knowledge that she would want for nothing.

Karin could even ignore how her husband did not speak to her unless necessary and how she never saw him outside of their bedchambers. Karin could ignore a lot of the negatives in her life because she was where she wanted to be.

What Karin could not ignore – what nobody could ignore – was how a year went by and there no sign of a child growing in her womb.

As the second son of the Emperor the child she carried for her husband would likely never grace the throne, but it was crucial for her husband to have a line of his own. For the first time in her life, things did not go in Karin's favour.

It was expected therefore when her husband took a concubine and it killed Karin inside.

Had it just been a means to ensuring her husband's heir then she could have overlooked it, but it was not. While she had been betrothed to her husband from a young age, all the details ironed out by their parent, this woman had been chosen by her husband.

The woman with the green eyes and cherry blossom hair had been her husband's choice… something she never was herself.

Karin heard rumours from the servants in the palace – how her husband had grown up with the girl and had spent happy childhoods together. Had the girl's social ranking been just a little higher than her birth dictated, then they would likely have been married.

Karin hated the woman for this reason.

Her husband's mistress was gentle and kind and the people who dwelled in the palace all spoke of her in glowing utterances.

Karin loathed her for this reason.

But what Karin could not abide, what she absolutely _detested_ was that her husband, the silent man whom she barely ever saw, hardly left that woman's side.

Karin would glimpse them walking together in the gardens of the palace and there would always be a smile on her husband's face. A smile he had never given his wife.

Karin reviled the fact that this woman who was so much _below_ her had everything that Karin was due.

Barely two months had passed before the woman was declared with child. After that moment Karin seldom saw her husband. He was always with _her_ and had even taken to sleeping away from his marital bedchambers.

Karin's life crumbled each day as she saw the concubine's stomach growing. She wished for horrible things, thoughts that were unbidden and that she would never utter aloud. Wishes for the pregnancy to falter, for the woman to be a failure as woman in the same that Karin had failed. She wished for her husband to return to her side, and she wold not care if her never spoke or looked at her, just as long as he was hers.

It was not to be however, and the woman reached the end of her pregnancy with no complications and was the picture of health. And just to twist the knife a little deeper, the pink haired girl gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Karin watched from the shadows as her husband hovered protectively over his new family. There was emotion in his eyes that Karin had never seen before.

Karin's heart hardened and melted all at once.

It was that very same evening when Karin was walking past the Emperor's chambers and heard her husband's voice within. She paused and listened as her husband asked his father to elevate his concubine's status.

Karin's heart clenched. Her husband was opening up the path to marry the mother of his child and where would that leave her? Divorce was a great dishonour and Karin would not – could not – allow it.

Her feet carried her to the room where the new mother and baby slumbered.

Karin stood over them, her eyes glaring down at the woman who had stolen all she had ever wanted. A discarded pillow lay beside the bed and before Karin knew what she was doing, the downy object was clutched in to her hands and hovering above the woman who was going to replace her.

Karin's breathing grew harsh as she lowered the pillow but her hands were stilled by a quiet snuffling sound.

Karin's eyes shot to the side and she spotted the bundle resting in a small bassinette. She moved away from the cause of her heartache and approached her husband's – but not hers – child. The child was wriggling in his bed and Karin observed him with an odd sort of detachment.

She felt nothing towards this child; no hate, no love, nothing.

He looked exactly like her husband and for that reason Karin's hands dropped the pillow back to the floor. She recalled the joy she had seen in her husband's face – joy caused by the two slumbering figures in the room.

She did not want to destroy that.

Even though it was not reciprocated, Karin cared for her husband. This one bond in her life that had manifested in to love was the reason Karin left the room and went back to her chambers silently, all thoughts of revenge having flown from her mind.

It was the reason she took up one of her husband's decorative daggers in her hands and knelt on the floor.

Karin was angry with the world, but she loved her husband an so she would free the path to his happiness. Even if that meant removing herself from his future completely.

* * *

><p><strong>So a fic in which Sasuke and Sakura technically didn't appear anyone?<strong>

**It was interesting to write this and even I felt a little bad for Karin by the end!**

**I did some reading on the roles of concubines and it was quite interesting how many rights some cultures gave them.  
><strong>

**Thanks for the reviews, your feedback means a lot. The next chapter of Echoes is nearly ready to upload so hopefully that will be up tomorrow.**

**Until next time!**


	11. Merchant

**Part 5 of Arabia.**

* * *

><p>Prompt # 13<p>

Merchant

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><p>Sakura wandered through the small port, happy to be back on solid ground for a while longer. She was still feeling a little tender from her night of drinking but was thankful that Sasuke had taken pity on his crew and allowed them to dock for a short while on their way home.<p>

The market was not expansive by any means but it provided a nice distraction for Sakura's woolly head. She glanced around and could spot at least half a dozen of the crew members nearby, including the captain who was annoyingly not suffering a hangover.

Skirting past the stalls selling food, the girl came to pause at a small table covered with various trinkets. She picked up a string of amber beads and admired their shine in the light, before her eye was caught by a small, hand stitched doll at the back of the table.

Sakura put the necklace down on the table and scooped up the fabric object instead, her fingers gently combing through the black hair on the doll's head.

"Do you like it?"

Sakura jumped at the voice and lifted her eyes to the woman who had emerged from a nearby house. The old lady had one eye that was milky white and not focusing along with the other as well as a slightly frantic look on her face that put Sakura on edge.

"I…" Sakura shook her head. "I think I had a doll like this when I was a little girl… but I can't remember."

"You should get it." The woman insisted.

Sakura shook her head and put the doll down gently, her gaze drawn to the glass beads it had for eyes… green like hers. It unsettled her, this unbidden memory rising up. She knew for a fact that the tribe had no use for toys and yet she was sure she had owned a doll like the one on the table. It was the first time she had recalled anything from her life before the tribe.

"You're a long way from home girl."

Sakura stared at the stall owner and frowned. "Excuse me?"

"You've had a couple of homes now, drifting on the breeze like a blossom… and now you may have found yourself in the most dangerous place of all. On the sea for the first time and yet you've never been more at risk of being lost to the flames."

Swallowing heavily, Sakura edged away slightly. "How do you know…?"

The woman clicked her tongue impatiently. "People always ask such stupid questions. It's clear as the light of day when I look at you. You're heading for the biggest adventure of your life, Girl."

Shaking her head, annoyed at herself for listening to the crazy ramblings, Sakura turned to walk away from the stall.

"Wait!" The old woman's voice screeched and Sakura froze, turning back around on instinct.

"Take this." The stooped old woman pressed something in to Sakura's hands.

The pinkette withdrew her hands quickly, disliking the feel of the woman's clammy skin on hers. She looked down in to her hand and stared at the smooth, black stone there.

"What is this?"

"Protection." The woman hissed.

"Protection? Protection from what?" Sakura peered at the stone more closely and could see characters scratched in to the surface though the language was unknown to her.

"That man." She pointed to where Sasuke was further down the street.

Sakura caught his gaze and widened her eyes at him, letting him know she needed his help. "I don't need protection from him." Sakura said to the woman and tried passing the stone back.

The woman's good eye narrowed at her, the other staying disturbingly fixed ahead. "Not from him. From what he carries with him."

"What?" Sakura glanced behind again and saw Sasuke had detached himself from the merchant he had been dealing with and was making his way to her.

"The dark heart festering in the earth where it belongs. The pieces left to keep it sealed must not be gathered. The orb, the scroll, the seal, the flame and the spring. It will rip the world to shreds."

Sakura backed away as the woman screeched her final words, swallowing harshly. Her back bumped in to something very solid and Sasuke's hands came to grasp her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah." Sakura muttered, not daring to take her eyes off the woman who was now focused on Sasuke.

"You." She spat. "You who feeds the serpent's hunger."

"Come on." Sasuke said, pulling Sakura away.

"I have warned you!" The old woman called at their backs. "You are as greedy as the man you serve, Pirate! And you will destroy everything of value. Including the little pink haired girl."

Sasuke froze and whipped around, fixing the woman with a cold glare. "What are you babbling about?"

"You know." She whispered, her voice infinitely calmer now. "Deep down you feel the unease in what you are tasked to do but you do it anyway for the wealth... but it will all be for naught." And apparently losing interest in them the lady began to mutter quietly to herself, turning her body away.

Sasuke and Sakura watched her until she disappeared back inside her gloomy shop, an uncomfortable silence left in her place.

* * *

><p>Sakura lay on the deck of the ship and stared up at the inky black sky, peppered with dots of shining silver. It was relatively quiet – there were still people tending the sails and of course there were a few crew members at the wheel.<p>

Sakura had tucked herself up near the bow, well hidden as she lay on the floor. The waters they were sailing through were lovely and calm and the very slight swaying of the floor beneath her was comforting.

Sakura raised an arm and held it towards the sky, just level with her eyes. The glossy surface of the stone the odd crone had pressed in to her hands earlier that day shined wetly in the moonlight. Sakura turned it this way and that, watching as the words scratched in to it were thrown in to sharp relief.

"You'll get sick lying on a damp deck, genius."

Sakura rolled her eyes but sat up anyway coming face level with Sasuke's knees. The captain took a seat on a nearby barrel and quirked an eyebrow. "Is that what the crazy old bat gave you?"

"Yeah." Sakura tossed the stone to Sasuke who caught it with ease. "'For protection', she said."

Sasuke rolled the stone between his fingers. "Do you know what the inscriptions are?"

"No," Sakura sighed. "I was hoping you would know."

"I've seen similar writing before, mainly in temples, but dead languages have never been my forte. You should ask Neji when we next go back."

"Neji?"

"He's been well-educated by his uncle. The library at the estate is quite impressive." He passed the stone back to Sakura who clutched it tightly in her hand. Sasuke's eyes were trained on how fiercely she held on to it. "You don't believe her do you? That you will actually need that protection?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. She seemed convinced."

"She was insane." Sasuke stated flatly. Sakura averted her eyes and Sasuke sighed, sliding off the barrel and crouching in front of her. "You don't need protection… and if you did then you'll find that I'm much better than some measly stone."

Sakura looked up at him then and his serious-as-ever expression caused her lips to twitch in to a smile.

* * *

><p>Little had changed at the Hyuuga Estate. Hinata was still stuttering and painfully shy, the grounds were still an immaculate oasis, and Sakura still found Neji to be an insufferable bore.<p>

"Interesting." The heir muttered as he turned the brass jar over in his hands. "This language is very old… almost too old for me to be of help?"

"Almost?" Sasuke repeated, form comfortably lounging on the cushions opposite Neji's desk. Sakura was stood at the shelves along the eastern wall of the room, eyes tracing the various scrolls and tomes residing there.

"I've seen it before, though in passing. It will take me some time to find the right book. Ay I keep this in the meantime?"

Sasuke frowned. "I would say yes, but I have another item to look for, and I may need to use the jar to retrieve it."

Neji nodded and pulled a sheet of parchment to him. "Fine. I'll make a copy of the inscriptions and work from that."

The coffee-haired man busied himself with making meticulous copies of each symbol and Sasuke turned his eyes towards his female companion.

"Sakura?"

The girl looked over her shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Don't you have something you want to ask Neji?"

Sakura scowled as Neji's eyes flicked up to her. "Nope." She turned away.

"Sakura," Sasuke sighed.

"Oh okay." She grumbled, approaching the low desk. Opening her hand, she allowed the shining, black stone to clatter lightly on to the wood.

Neji scooped up the object and brought it up to his eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"Some old lady at a market place." Sakura shrugged. "She didn't seem quite right."

Sasuke observed the intense look on the other man's face and frowned. "Do you know what it is?"

Neji shook his head. "Not a clue, and this writing is unbelievably old… I've no clue what it says."

"Is there no way to decipher it?"

"Probably not." Neji conceded. "At a glance I would guess that it's a precursor to the language on the jar. I may be able to figure it out if I can find the translation to the jar… but that's only a maybe."

"Anything would be appreciated." Sasuke said pointedly and Neji began making copies of the stone too.

Sakura hovered by the desk uncertainly, biting her lip. "The old lady – the one who gave me the stone – she said that it's for protection."

Neji put his quill down and gave the woman his attention. "I thought you said that she was… odd?"

"She was!" Sakura protested before sighing. "She seemed to know things about me." Aware of Sasuke's eyes trained on the side of her face she continued. "She knew things about my past and there was a doll…"

"A doll?"

Sasuke glared at Neji; whether intended or not, there was a slight mocking tinge to the nobleman's voice.

Sakura let out a forced laugh. "Forget it, it's stupid anyway. I wouldn't bother with that stone either, it's probably worthless."

With that the girl fled from the room and Sasuke stood also. "Nice job."

"What?" Neji asked defensively.

"One day you should really try to listen to yourself. You might understand why everyone else wants to punch you in the mouth."

Ignoring Neji's affronted expression, Sasuke followed after Sakura, finding the girl in the gardens, pacing back and forth while breathing heavily.

"Hey."

She paused and looked at Sasuke. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

Sasuke glanced around, for some reason very tempted to hightail it away from this unusually abrupt version of Sakura. "You don't seem fine."

The girl crossed her arms over her chest tightly and turned away from him again shaking her head. "I told you that I am fine. I just don't much like being here."

Sasuke sighed and approached the simmering woman. "You said something about the old woman knowing things about you? You didn't mention it before."

"There's nothing to tell. I'm just being foolish."

Sasuke caught her wrist, pulling an arm away from her chest and pulled her to the edge of the garden and on to a waiting bench. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that? What did she say?"

Sakura licked her lips and averted her eyes. "She talked about how I'd travelled to many places in my life. She knew I was sailing the seas now and said I was in danger."

"Danger of what?" Sasuke's gaze was intense.

"Of being lost to the flames."

Sasuke frowned. "And what of the doll you mentioned?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "I thought I recognised it from my childhood. The only thing is that the tribe never allowed us to have toys, it was a waste of resources. So if I remember a doll like the one the old lady had –"

"Then it's an earlier memory." Sasuke supplied.

Sakura nodded. "I've never remembered anything about my life before the tribe found me. I don't know whether to feel excited or scared that those memories do apparently exist."

Sasuke observed the girl by his side for a moment. "You can feel both."

It was a simple statement and so perfectly Sasuke that Sakura let out a small laugh. "I guess I can."

"But like I told you before, don't worry about what that old crone said. I look out for my crew." Sasuke was purposely not looking at the girl and he almost jumped when her hand slid in to his own.

"Thank you."


End file.
